Come Around
by SayaAnnie
Summary: Dante Falconeri and Lulu Spencer-Zacchara have both been hurt emotionally in previous relationships and have their doubts on love. Can they show each other how to love again or will their love perish in the crossfire?
1. Meetings and Ice

_Hello all! Just a few things, I've been writing this awhile and just recently got coerced...I mean, encouraged...to post it. I've done a lot of writing before, but this is my first Lante fic. It's kind of AU, but some things are the same. If it gets confusing, ask! Anyway I hope you like it! It's posted on some Lante boards, so the first two chapters are going up together, after that, it won't be like that._

**Come Around**

**Chapter 1**

_Port Charles Preparatory (January 12)_

"Come on guys, you're late for school, I'm going to be late for my meeting with Aunt Maxie and Federico, so we have to hurry," 28-year-old Lulu Zacchara told her 7-year-old twins, Lexi and Tanner, as she attempted to run through the parking lot in her heels while holding her children's hands.

"Mama, I forgot my lunch box," Lexi said stopping dead in her tracks.

"Well, I'll go back to the car and get it," Lulu replied, pulling the two kids onto the curb and sitting them on a bench. "You two stay right here and don't move."

"No, I left it at home," Lexi whined.

Lulu let out a sigh, "I'll give the lunch money to your teacher," She reached for their hands. "Let's go."

She took a few steps before stepping onto a patch of ice and landing on the ground, "Damn it," she cursed, both children let out gasps.

"You said a bad wordddddddd," Tanner cried out.

"I know, I'm sorry honey," Lulu said to her son. "This has just been a bad day for us."

When 29-year-old Dante Falconeri got up that morning, he had not planned on bringing his one-month-old daughter out into the cold, especially since it had snowed some the night before. He had also not planned on his 7-year-old son missing the bus. He had hoped he would be able to pick the house up a little before their nanny arrived and he had to go to work.

When he pulled into the parking lot, he had saw one last 10-minute drop-off/pick-up parking spot left. However, by the time he got there, someone in a white SUV had already parked there.

Dante let out a loud groan, driving to the end of the parking lot where there were a few empty spaces, "Bridger, unbuckle your seat belt and get your backpack and when we get out, you need to stay right next to me so you don't get out in front of a car."

Dante opened the truck door and let Bridger out before placing a third blanket on top of his daughter's car seat.

"I'm sorry I made us late, Dad," Bridger said, knowing he missed the bus because he was playing his video game when Dante was telling him to get ready for school.

"It's not your fault, Bridge," he told him. "I should have been making sure you were actually getting ready."

They started toward the school, he was holding Bridger's hand and had the carrier in the other hand. That's when he heard what sounded like someone falling on ice and he looked up just in time to hear the curse word coming from her mouth. He picked up the pace, hurrying to help the woman with her two children.

"Do you need some help?" she heard a masculine voice ask

Lulu looked up to see a dark-haired, brown-eyed man holding a baby in his arms and a small boy by the hand, "Um, yeah, thanks," She said as he reached out to help her off the ground.

_God, he's beautiful. Wait…he's probably married, I shouldn't even think like that._

"I'm Dante," He said

_Hello gorgeous. Too bad she's probably married. _

"Lulu," She smiled before letting go of his hand.

"Hi Bridger," Tanner said to the little boy.

"Hi," Bridger replied happily. "Dad, I'm cold, can we go inside now?"

Dante and Lulu locked eyes for a short moment, "Yeah, I need to get them inside too, it's cold out here," Lulu told him before trying to walk, but limping.

"I don't think that's going to happen," Dante said as he moved to help her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Lulu replied as she winced in pain.

"Are you okay Mama?" Lexi questioned, taking her mother by the hand, genuinely worried that she was truly hurt.

"Yeah honey," She tried to take another step, but couldn't and let out a cry of pain instead.

"Okay, let me take your kids, I think Bridger and your son are in the same class, and your daughter's class is in—," Dante assisted Lulu to the bench that was on the sidewalk in front of the school.

"Ms. Green's first grade class," Lulu finished for him.

"I can show you," Lexi grinned up at him, the girl never met a stranger.

"Okay," He began. "I'll take them in and then I'll drive you to the hospital."

"No, that's not necessary," Lulu told him, shaking her head. "I have a meeting I need to get to."

"Your ankle could be broken, you probably can't even drive," Dante replied

"You have to hold my hand," Lexi told him

"But he's holding my hand, he can't hold hands with a girl!" Bridger exclaimed

Dante wasn't sure what to say, he looked from Bridger to Lexi to the baby wrapped in blankets in the carrier, then he looked to Lulu, "Would you mind holding her while I take them inside?" He asked

Lulu hesitated for a moment, then looked to her own children who this man was graciously offering to take them into the school, "I don't mind," Lulu replied. "What's her name?"

"Mia," Dante smiled, handing the carrier to her.

"Hi Mia," Lulu cooed at the little girl.

Once inside, Bridger and Tanner ran to their first grade classroom while Lexi pulled Dante toward hers, "Mr. Falconeri," The teacher was standing at the door when they walked up, then she looked to Lexi. "With Miss Zacchara."

"Yeah, her mom asked me to bring her in," Dante said as Lexi stopped dead in her tracks and refused to move.

"Come on Lexi, let's get into class," Ms. Green said to the girl, but Lexi just shook her head as she looked to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Dante asked squatting down to the little girl's eye level.

"I didn't bring my lunch and Mama forgot to give me lunch money," Dante let out a sigh of relief, he pulled his wallet from is back pocket, he handed a ten-dollar bill to the teacher, then leaned back down to Lexi. "There, it's taken care of."

"Thank you," Lexi smiled politely before running into the classroom and pulling off her coat.

When Dante returned to where he left that gorgeous blonde with his beautiful baby girl, Lulu was talking to baby Mia who was contently watching her.

"Okay…" He clapped his hands together, "let's get you to the hospital."

"I told you I would be okay," Lulu replied, looking up to him.

"Oh really?" he knelt down to look at her ankle, then he squeezed it.

"Ow!" Lulu shouted, shooting him a dirty look

"Yeah, that's what I thought," He said

Lulu let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, "Fine."

"Okay, let me get Mia back into her car seat and then I'll pull around to help you to the car." Dante told her

Once he pulled around in a black truck, Lulu had pulled off her deep purple Christian Louboutin loafer pump. He got out of the truck as Lulu stood up.

"No, you can barely even take one step," He stopped her and picked her up off the ground, and carried her to the truck, then went around to the driver's side and got in.

"I really appreciate this, I have a really bad habit of being stubborn," Lulu told him as they started out of the parking lot.

_It's okay, my ex is the same way. _He thought to himself then replied with, "Is there anyone you need to call, maybe your husband or someone?"

"Oh no, my husband passed away, um, five years ago…" She paused, "today actually."

"Oh I'm so sorry," Dante said, now not sure what to say.

"I do need to call my cousin though and let her know I can't make the meeting," Lulu replied, pulling her phone from her purse.

"Lulu, where are you?" Carly answered the phone.

"Tell her to get down here now, this is important," She heard Maxie in the background.

"I can't make it, I-I'm on my way to the hospital," Lulu replied

"What, why?" Carly asked, "Are you okay? Is it Lexi or Tanner?"

"No, the kids are fine…" Lulu told her, "I—on the other hand—hurt my ankle when I was taking them to school this morning."

"Do you need me to come down to GH?" Carly questioned

"No, I'll be fine," Lulu replied, then looked quickly at Dante, "I have a friend taking me, so I'll be in as soon as I can, tell Federico I'm sorry I couldn't make it, and tell Maxie to go ahead with the designs."

After the untimely death of Kate Howard-Corinthos in 2009, Crimson Magazine was left to Jasper Jacks, who was co-owner. He put Maxie Jones and Lulu Spencer in charge of the magazine and when he saw they were fully devoted to the magazine and the company, he made a beyond generous offer to sell his shares to Lulu and Maxie.

Carly sighed, "Alright, other than your ankle, are you okay?" She asked

Lulu knew she remembered the anniversary of Johnny's death, it was something Carly never forgot, "Yeah, we had a rough start this morning, and even though the kids don't know, they were both having a terrible day, it just seemed like everything went wrong this morning," She replied

"Well, hopefully it will get better, if you get out of the ER early enough, you should come have lunch with Maxie and me," Carly suggested

"Okay, I'll try, but I'm not making any promises, with the luck I'm having today, it may be best I stay away from the Metro Court," Lulu replied

"No, no, no," Carly said, "You come down here, just call me when you leave GH and let us know when you're headed over."

"Okay, I will," Lulu replied, "Don't forget to tell Maxie that I'm sorry."

"Honey, she understands," Carly told her

"Well, I feel terrible about it," Lulu said, "Today is a big day."

"Just make it up to us by coming by at least see us later," Maxie added in the background.

"Okay, I'll be by later," Lulu said, "Bye."

"Bye," Carly replied before shutting her phone, then turning to Maxie.

"I thought that keeping her busy today would be a good thing," Maxie admitted

"I think she did too, but it's just hard with this being the day Johnny died," Carly replied

"It's understandable, I would probably never get over it if I lost Spinelli and we're not even married yet," Maxie said

"Well, I think she still kicks herself over the time she wasted hating him when she was forced into that marriage to save him," Carly told her.

-  
_So please let me know what you think so far? Do you think I should continue?_


	2. History Lessons

_Here it is, I hope you enjoy the second chapter! Let me know what you think!_

**Chapter 2**

Once Dante and Lulu arrived at the hospital, he pulled up to the ER doors and went in to get a nurse to bring out a wheelchair. After that, he went and parked his truck and got Mia's pink and black car seat out.

He carried his daughter in her car seat into the ER and sat down in a chair next to where Lulu was filling out a paper in her wheelchair.

"You know, you don't have to stay here," Lulu told him. "I'm sure you've got stuff to do today."

"No actually, I took off work because I was supposed to meet my ex-girlfriend in Scranton so she could see Mia, but she called last night and told me she wasn't going to make it," Dante replied

"You sound disappointed," Lulu said, glancing at him briefly before continuing with the paper.

"Well, she and I split up about a year ago after being together for almost ten years," he told her.

Lulu was speechless this time and silent for a few moments, "I-I'm sorry to hear that," She said to him.

"It's okay, once I found out she was doing drugs, I was done, there were no questions, I just figured when she got pregnant that she might try to turn her life around," Dante replied, then looked at Lulu and laughed. "I don't know why I'm throwing this all at you, I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay," Lulu nodded and smiled

"Lulu we can take you into exam room three," Nadine told her as she came over to push her wheelchair.

Lulu looked over her shoulder, "You can come in there with me if you'd like," She told Dante.

He smiled and grabbed Mia's carrier to follow Nadine into the exam room where she was taking Lulu, "Go ahead and get on the exam table, a doctor will be in here shortly," Nadine said, taking Lulu's finished paper.

"How are Nikolas and the kids?" Lulu asked her as she hopped on one foot out of the wheelchair onto the bed.

"They're good, Nikolas and Lucky took Spencer, Cameron, Jake and Aidan to a basketball game today and to do some other stuff since Spencer's birthday is next week and these are the two days in a row Lucky could get off," Nadine explained, "So they're staying there until tomorrow so it's just me and Raylene at the house tonight, you should come out there and keep us company."

"I probably won't be able to drive, otherwise I would," Lulu replied. "I forgot that they were going to Manhattan, they invited Tanner, but he already gets upset because they have dads and he doesn't."

"Right," Nadine sighed, not sure of what to say

"You and Ray Ray are more than welcome to come spend the night at my house," Lulu said. "Our day has been hectic so I'm not going to promise you anything spectacular."

"Okay, we may stop by," Nadine smiled. "I'll call you later."

"Alright," Lulu replied as Nadine left, she then turned to Dante. "That is my brother's wife, Nadine."

Just then Dante's phone rang, "Yeah?" He answered, Lulu tried to ignore the conversation by messing with her own phone, but when he told the person on the other end of the line that he was busy, she couldn't help but be nosey.

"Look, you don't have to stay, if you have somewhere to be, I can have Nadine take me to get my car," Lulu told him once he ended the call.

"No, it's fine, it's not important," Dante said, then looked at Lulu and smiled. "Besides, you owe me some money, and I'm not leaving until I collect it."

Lulu wrinkled her forehead, "What are you talking about?" She asked

"Oh, well…your daughter didn't have any lunch money this morning, and she refused to go to class, so I gave her ten dollars," Dante explained.

"You gave her ten dollars for lunch?" Lulu was in shock, but laughed. "You realize she probably needed like three of that and she's going to spend the rest of it on candy at recess?"

"Your daughter, not mine," Dante put his hands up in defense, also laughing.

"Well, thank you, but I can give you the money," she said, reaching behind her to grab her purse.

Dante shook his hand at her, "No, I'm just kidding, don't worry about it, it was ten bucks, keep it," he told her

"No, take it," Lulu said. "I don't like to owe people money."

"Consider it a gift to your daughter," Dante replied.

Lulu shook her head, then decided to change the subject, "So I've never seen you at any of the parent meetings or anything, has your son always gone to PC Prep?" Lulu asked

"No, Bridger just started this semester, we recently moved to Port Charles, he was on the waiting list for first grade, so he was going to Port Charles Elementary," Dante explained. "What about your kids?"

"Well, I was just fine with sending them to Port Charles Elementary, but my stepmother said 'no grandchild of mine will be attending public school,'" Lulu mocked Tracy, making Dante laugh. "And I have the money to put them through private school and college if wanted, but I went to public school and didn't see anything wrong with it, so I'm letting her pick up the tab for it."

"Yeah, kids have a bigger chance of getting into a better college if they go to private school, and I wanted Bridger to have that opportunity," Dante added. "The first day he came home, he was telling me about Tanner and how nice he was."

"Tanner is always wanting Bridger to stay the night, but I didn't know who he was and so I had planned on getting a hold of you, but we've been so busy lately that we haven't been able to," Lulu said. "We'll have to soon though, if that's okay with you of course."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure they would like that," Dante replied. "You know, I thought it was interesting that your kids are in different classes, most parents would want their twins in the same class."

"A lot of people have asked that," Lulu began. "Before we even found out what we were having, my husband and I decided we didn't want to treat them as a unit, but as individual people. They've always been really close, like best friends, they play with each other at school and at home. When they started school, I let them decide if they wanted in the same class, I pointed out some pros and cons and they wanted in different classes, which surprised me. But like I said, they still play together at recess and stuff like that though."

"That's good that they're close," Dante said. "I don't think Bridger and Mia will ever be like that, they're too far apart in age."

"Lulu, are you okay?" Liz asked, coming into the room and looking at her ankle, "What happened?"

"I slipped on some ice and hurt my ankle," Lulu replied.

Liz looked at her sister-in-law's shoes, "Of course you would be wearing these death trap heels with ice on the ground," Liz shook her head, but smiled.

"I was supposed to have a meeting with Federico this morning to start working on the fall line," Lulu replied. "You would wear heels to work too if you could."

"You're probably right, but that's beside the point," Liz said, scolding Lulu. "You need to be more careful."

"I know, I will," She replied, then looked at Dante who was watching the nurse reprimand Lulu. "Liz, this is my friend Dante, and Dante this is my sister-in-law, Liz."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Dante, but I must go, I had a break and Nadine told me that you were down here so I had to come see for myself," Elizabeth said.

"Thanks," Lulu replied. "She said Nikolas and Lucky took the boys to Manhattan for the evening, she was talking about coming over for the evening…we'll have Lexi, Tanner and Raylene, but you are more than welcome to join us."

"Okay, I'll have to get back to you on that, but I'll talk to you later," Liz smiled then turned to Dante. "Once again, it was nice meeting you Dante."

"Nice to meet you too," Dante replied before Liz left, then turned to Lulu. "So before anymore nurses come in here and you tell me they're your sisters-in-law, tell me exactly how many brothers do you have that could barge in and assume that you're in here because of me?"

Lulu laughed, "Three, Nikolas, Lucky and Ethan," she said. "Nadine is Nikolas' wife, he has a son from a previous relationship, Spencer, and they have a daughter together, Raylene. Liz is married to my brother, Lucky, they have three boys, Cameron, Jake and Aidan."

"Does he work for the PCPD?" He asked, recognizing the names.

"Yeah, he does," she replied. "Do you know him?"

"Yeah, he was the one who I was on assignment with the first few nights I worked, he was telling me about his kids," Dante explained. "Anyway, you said you had one more brother?"

"Yes…Ethan has Maya, who is a doctor here at GH," Lulu replied. "Oh, then there's Jason, he's always been like a brother to me, he's Jake's biological father…and why am I giving you a history lesson? I apologize."

He laughed, "It's okay, I told you about my family, so it's only fair," He said

"Lulu, I heard you were here," Maya said as she walked in, looking at the chart.

"I wondered if you were working," Lulu replied, noticing Maya eyeing Dante. "This is my friend Dante, and Dante this is my brother's girlfriend, Maya Ward."

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Ward," Dante said, shaking her hand.

"Please, call me Maya," she smiled. "And it's nice to meet you, as well."

"Okay Lulu, let's get a look at that ankle," Maya said as she took Lulu's foot and began to examine it. "It doesn't look completely broken, but it's pretty swollen, I'm going to send you to x-ray, and then you can come back here and we'll see what we're dealing with."

Two hours later, Lulu was released from the hospital with a small fracture in her right ankle.

"So what are you going to do about your car and your kids?" Dante asked, helping her into the front seat, and placing her crutches in the floorboard of the backseat after snapping Mia's car seat into the base.

"Well, I guess if you don't mind, take me to the Metro Court hotel, and then I'll see if Carly would mind going to pick up the kids, I'll figure out something for my car though," Lulu replied

"Okay," Dante said. "To the Metro Court."

Lulu looked back to the car seat, "She's been such a good baby, I think the only time she cried was when she was hungry," She said

"She's usually a pretty good baby, she doesn't cry a lot," Dante replied. "Now Bridger, he was a different story."

"See both of my kids were that way," Lulu said. "They were cranky from day one."

"Well, I've only been around them a few moments, but it doesn't seem to have effected the way they are now," Dante told her.

"Thank you so much for everything," Lulu said, seeing they were pulling up to the Metro Court a few minutes later. "I'm actually glad you stayed with me today, it was nice getting to know you."

"Well, I enjoyed it a little too," Dante smiled a bit, causing Lulu to laugh

"Here's my cell number," Lulu said, giving him a piece of paper with her cell phone number on it. "Maybe we can set up a sleepover for the boys or something."

"Yeah, sounds like a plan," Dante nodded, "Let me help you out."

She watched as he jumped out and went around to her side of the vehicle, he pulled the crutches from the backseat, then helped her out, "Thank you," She smiled

"I guess I'll see you around, I hope your ankle gets better soon," Dante said

"Yeah…well, they gave me a pain killer, and I'm going later today to get this prescription filled, so I'm sure I'll be feeling a lot better," She laughed, making him laugh as well, she heard her phone ring, and she pulled it out of her pocket, "Hello?"

"Lulu, I'm getting ready to go downstairs for lunch with Carly, I was just calling to see if you would be able to join us," Maxie said

"Um yeah, I'm actually getting ready to come inside so I'll meet you there," Lulu replied

"Okay, see you in a few," Maxie said before hanging up

"I guess I'll talk to ya later, if there's anything else you need, let me know," Dante told her

"Okay, and thanks again for today," Lulu smiled shoving her phone back into her pocket while leaning on her crutches.

"No problem," Dante said before they shared an awkward silent moment.

Lulu smiled again, "See ya," She said before going into the hotel on her crutches.

_I would love for you to tell me what you think so far =)_


	3. She Means Well

_Hey all! Thanks for the great reviews on the first two chapters! I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much. It's a really long chapter with a lot of stuffing._

**Chapter 3**

As Lulu was riding the elevator, she almost dreaded the doors opening, because she knew the million-and-one questions she would receive from Carly and Maxie. Honestly, she had enjoyed spending the day with Dante and getting to know him a little. For the first time in five years, she felt at peace while in the presence of a man, other than the men in her family.

Why did he have that affect on her? Ever since Johnny passed away, she couldn't even bare the thought of being with another man. Maybe this was a sign from God or even Johnny that it was okay to be happy, it was okay to be with someone else. Maybe Dante would be her saving grace, the one she would spend the rest of her life with.

Or maybe he would be the one that would end the little bit of faith she had in love.

Lulu sighed as the elevator dinged and the doors opened to the restaurant in the Metro Court hotel, she saw her cousin and best friend sitting at a table near the bar.

"There you are," Carly said, jumping up to run to Lulu's side, "How did this happen?"

"I slipped on some ice at the kids' school," Lulu replied as Maxie followed closely behind Carly.

"How did you get to the hospital?" Maxie questioned as they helped her to the table to sit down.

"Tanner's friend's dad took me and then brought me here," Lulu replied, wanting to change the subject before they asked too many more questions, she picked up her menu and began scanning it, "I'm starving."

"So what was the prognosis?" Carly asked

"It's just a small fracture in my ankle," Lulu replied, "No big deal, should be healed in six weeks."

"So this dad…is he single?" She questioned, grinning at Lulu.

"It's none of your business, but yes he is. His ex-girlfriend was on drugs, so he split up with her, but she left him with a 7-year-old son in Tanner's class and a beautiful little girl who is just a few weeks old," Lulu explained

"Baggage…" Maxie sighed and shook her head. "You better stay away from him Lulu, he's a single father with a strung-out ex-girlfriend, that can't be good."

"But he's got to be a great man to be able to just take the kids and raise them by himself," Carly added, Maxie agreed then.

"Okay first, who said I'm going to see him again and two—" She was stopped when her phone started ringing, it was a text message…

_I believe you left your purse in my truck, do you need me to bring it back to you now or later?_

Lulu smiled, and without looking up she could tell Carly and Maxie were glaring at her as she hit the reply button.

"Wow, he must be a pretty amazing guy for you to be smiling like that," Carly said, Lulu glanced up and rolled her eyes.

_Whenever is convenient for you, I'll be at the hotel until 6ish, after that I'll be home for the rest of the evening, the address is 743 North Yale._

She shut the phone after putting it on vibrate and placing it on the table, then looked at her friend and cousin, "Stop looking at me like that," She demanded.

"He's coming to see you tonight, isn't he?" Maxie asked, knowing all too well.

"I forgot my purse in his truck, he's going to bring it by later," Lulu replied as her phone began to vibrate on the table, Carly moved quickly to grab it, but Lulu stopped her, "No."

_I'll bring it by around 7._

"So we get to meet him?" Carly asked with excitement in her voice.

"No, he's coming by the house later," Lulu replied, causing Maxie and Carly to giggle, "He's just being courteous, he knows I can't drive, so he's bringing my purse to me."

"Right," Maxie nodded

"Can we just drop this and have lunch?" Lulu snapped, "Dante is just like any other parent of one of my children's friends."

"Okay fine," Maxie retorted

"Alright," Carly agreed

"Thank you," Lulu sighed going back to her menu, "What did Federico have to say?"

"He liked all of the designs except for that yellow dress," Maxie replied taking a sip of her water.

"But that was my favorite," Lulu said

"I know, it was one of mine too, but Federico said it wouldn't sell on the French market, and what Feddy says goes," Maxie added

"I wish I could have been there, Maxie. I'm so sorry," Lulu told her

"Don't worry about it, even though you were missed, we managed without you," Maxie told her, "Federico said he will catch you next time."

Just then Lulu's phone began to vibrate again on the table, she looked at the caller ID, "It's Tanner and Lexi's school," she pressed the button to answer it. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Zacchara, this is Alicia Green, Lexi's teacher, I have your daughter here and she's been complaining about being sick to her stomach, we tried to get her to eat, but it came back up."

Lulu sighed, "Someone will be there to pick her up shortly," She said before ending the call, she couldn't help but laugh at the fact that the universe was trying to play some sort of joke on her, her hands covered her face as he elbows rested on the table, "Can this day get any worse?"

"What is it?" Carly asked in a concerned tone.

"It's Lexi, she's sick at school," Lulu said, picking up her cell phone again, then began to mumble off some kind of ramblings, "Nikolas and Lucky are out of town, Liz and Nadine are both at work and Ethan is working today too…I guess I'll see if one of the Quartermaines would mind going to get her."

"Lulu, why don't you just take the rest of the day off, Maxie and I will take you to get Lexi and then Maxie can drive your car back to your house for you," Carly suggested, "How does that sound?"

"Would you be okay with that?" Lulu turned to Maxie

"Of course…go home and you and that little girl get some rest," Maxie assured her friend.

"What about lunch?" Lulu questioned

Carly stopped one of the waiters, "We need three club sandwiches with sweet potato fries to go," She said quietly, "And fast, we have a sick baby to pick up from school."

"Thank you," Lulu sighed loudly

Once the crisis was averted, Maxie and Carly made sure Lexi and Lulu were settled at the house before they left again.

"Crap," Lulu said as she sat curled up on the couch with Lexi at the opposite end, watching some cartoon, Lexi with a trash can in front of her and Lulu with her pain medication.

"What?" Lexi asked, looking up at Lulu

"I don't have anyone to pick up your brother," Lulu sighed, leaning over to pick up her phone from the coffee table.

She quickly began to think of where Lexi could have gotten this bug from and if it was exposed to Tanner, also. If Tanner was in the clear, she could easily call one of the other mothers to pick him up. Where had her children been around someone sick? Then it hit her…the night before, Tanner had been spending some "male-bonding time" with Ethan since Lucky and Nikolas had taken the other boys to New York City. Lulu had taken Lexi to the grocery store with her and had saw Robin and Emma there. Emma and Lexi were hugging each other and running up and down the freezer aisles making the light sensors come on in each case as they passed. Lulu recalled Robin commenting on how animated Emma was since she had just gotten over being sick.

Before Lulu could pull her phone from her pocket, it began to ring…a text message.

_Is there anything I could bring over when I come by later?_

Lulu quickly began typing away at a text message…_Actually, could you do me yet another favor?_

_Name it. _He replied

She found his name in the contact list and called his number, "Hey," Dante answered.

"Hi," Lulu replied quietly, "I was wondering if you would mind picking up Tanner and taking him home with you, then you can bring him home when you come by later."

"Sure, is something wrong?" Dante asked

"Well, I had to pick up Lexi early because she's sick and I don't think Tanner has been exposed to whatever she has yet, so it will give me a little extra time to disinfect everything," Lulu explained

"So you're home now?" Dante questioned

"Yeah, Maxie and Carly practically forced me to take the rest of the day off," Lulu said

"Ah, okay…yeah I can do that," He told her

"I was planning on asking Carly, but I know Tanner has been asking to go home with Bridger for awhile now," she didn't even have to finish her sentence.

"Say no more, I will be more than happy to pick him up and Bridger would love having him over," Dante replied.

"Thank you so much and I apologize for being this huge inconvenience on you today," She said

"You weren't, I enjoyed talking to you," Dante admitted, even though he did have to call into work saying he had an emergency, he would have rather been getting to know Lulu. "I don't really know anyone, so it's nice getting to know one of the parents at Bridger's school."

"Mama, my stomach hurts," Lexi whimpered from the other end of the couch. "I think I'm going to throw up."

"Here honey," Lulu said, quickly handing the trash can to her daughter, then spoke back into the phone. "I better go, Lexi's about to get sick."

"Okay, what time should I bring Tanner by?" Dante asked.

"Around six, if that's okay," Lulu told him.

"See you at six," He said before they hung up.

Lulu made a few more phone calls to her family before she helped Lexi upstairs, making her as comfortable as possible in her bed. Then she began cleaning everything as best she could on crutches.

About 5:30, Maxie stopped by to check on them, "Where are Lexi and Tanner?" She asked as she and Lulu sat down on the couch.

"Lexi is asleep and Tanner is at a friend's house, he'll be home later though," Lulu explained as she got situated on the couch with the cast on her leg. "I needed to get a head start on cleaning the house to make sure he and I don't get what Lexi has."

"I completely forgot about Tanner," Maxie gasped as her eyes went wide, she had completely forgot. "I'm so sorry; I should have picked him up."

"It's fine," Lulu assured her. "He's at his friend's, no offense but he probably would have wanted to go to Bridger's anyway."

"Would this friend happen to have a hot, single dad?" Maxie grinned.

Lulu's mouth gaped open, then she returned the grin, she wasn't sure what to say, "Maybe," she said simply with a smile

"So he's coming over?" Maxie asked hopefully. "When? Can I meet him?"

"Yes, but he's just going to drop him off," Lulu attempted to discourage her. "You don't have to wait here for that."

"Then I'll peek out the window," She suggested.

"Maxie, no," Lulu replied, she was putting her foot down on this one, Maxie wasn't going to win. "He'll think I've told you all about him and he'll get freaked out, you can't stay."

"Okay fine, see if I come to check on you again," Maxie retorted, only half teasing. "Do you need anything before I leave?"

"Not that I can think of," Lulu shook her head.

Maxie got up to walk toward the door, "Okay, if you do, just give me a call," She told her as Lulu followed her to the door on her crutches.

"Actually, do you think you could bring us some dinner later?" Lulu asked

"Of course," Maxie smiled. "From Marketplace?"

"That would be perfect," Lulu smiled as her friend stood in the doorway. "Thanks Maxie."

"I'll see you later," Maxie said before she walked off the porch and down the sidewalk.

When Dante pulled up a little while later, Bridger and Tanner barreled out of the back door before Dante could even turn off the vehicle. The boys came bounding toward the front porch where Lulu was standing with her crutches.

"Now Tanner, your sister is asleep, so if you go inside, you can't go upstairs and you need to be really, really quiet," she warned her son.

"Can we go to the backyard?" He asked

"Yeah, just be careful," Lulu replied. "And if I see you on that pool cover again, you're going to be in big trouble!"

"Okay Mom," Tanner said, recalling the time a few weeks ago that he made the mistake of stepping out onto it; Lulu was ready to tear into him that day.

Dante had taken Mia from her car seat and wrapped her in a blanket before walking to the porch.

"Thank you for keeping him and bringing him home," Lulu smiled. "Have a seat."

"Oh, it wasn't a problem at all," Dante replied. "He and Bridger had a blast,"

"Would you like to come in," she asked. "I've cleaned pretty well, so you won't be susceptible to whatever Lexi has."

"Sure," he replied before she ushered him into the house.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" Lulu asked as they sat down.

"Make what up to me?" Dante questioned

"The fact that I've been a huge inconvenience to you all day long," Lulu said.

"No, you haven't," Dante replied. "I had someone to cover my shift anyway since I was supposed to go to Scranton and I already told you that I enjoyed getting to know you and I also had fun getting to spend time with Tanner and Bridger this afternoon."

"He wasn't too much trouble was he?" Lulu asked

"No, he is probably one of the most polite seven-year-olds I have ever met," he informed her. "I can't say that much for Bridger."

Lulu laughed, "You must have caught him on a good day, he isn't always like that," she admitted.

"He's a great kid, Lulu…really," he told her. "He's more than welcome to come over to the house anytime."

"Thank you," Lulu replied as she looked to the sleeping baby in Dante's arms. "Can I hold her?"

"Yeah, sure," Dante said, sitting up to hand his daughter to Lulu.

She held Mia in her arms as the infant woke up from being resituated, "Hi Mia," Lulu spoke quietly to her. "You don't let those mean boys gang up on you too bad, do you?"

"Oh no, she has Bridger wrapped around her finger," Dante commented.

"And she doesn't do the same with you?" Lulu giggled, looking up at him.

"Of course she does," Dante also had to laugh at how much he had already spoiled his daughter.

"Tell Daddy there's nothing wrong with that," Lulu began talking to Mia again in a childish tone. "Someone needs to keep him on his toes."

Mia flashed a brief smile that didn't go unnoticed by Dante or Lulu, "Be careful, she'll have you wrapped around her finger before long," he told her

"That's okay," Lulu replied with a smile. "It's not like my kids don't have me that way,"

"Where did the boys go?" Dante asked

"Tanner said they were going to the backyard," Lulu replied, then pointed to the French doors. "Those doors go to the backyard if you want to go out there."

"I just didn't want them waking your daughter up since she's sick." Dante said.

Then there was a knock at the front door, Lulu sighed, knowing who it was. "That would be Maxie," she said, trying not to startle Mia before she began to hand her over to Dante, but paused. "Before she comes in here and opens her mouth, she means well, I promise, she's just really nosey."

Dante laughed before getting up off the couch, "I'll get it, it's going to take you half an hour just to get to the door."

Lulu leaned back into the couch as Mia fell asleep on her chest.

"Hi," Maxie said nervously, not expecting someone other than her friend to answer the door.

"If you're looking for Lulu, she's left town, she told me I was in charge of her house and kids and to not let you in," Dante told her, blocking Maxie's view into the house.

Lulu started to laugh when Maxie was unsure of what to say. "Come on in Maxie," she said before Dante allowed her in, then closed the door behind her. "Dante, this is my friend and colleague, Maxie Jones; Maxie this is Bridger's dad, Dante."

"Nice to meet you," Dante said, shaking her hand.

"You too," Maxie finally spoke with a smile.

"Aw, cute baby," Maxie noted, placing the sack of food on the coffee table and sat down in the arm chair next to where Lulu was sitting on the couch, before looking back at Dante. "Is she yours?"

"Yes she is, her name is Mia," Dante confirmed proudly, sitting back down on the couch.

"She's beautiful," Maxie told him.

"Thank you," He replied

"Isn't she just the sweetest thing ever?" Lulu asked as she kissed Mia on the forehead.

"She is," Maxie agreed. "It's been awhile since we've had a baby this small around here."

"Maybe that means you need to have one," Lulu teased.

"I don't think so, not for awhile at least," Maxie shook her head. "I don't know how you do it Lulu, balancing our hectic lifestyle with a family."

Then Tanner and Bridger came bounding through the back doors, startling Mia in her sleep.

"There you two are, have you been having fun?" Lulu asked as Tanner came to sit down next to her and looked curiously at Mia.

"I think it's about time we go, don't you buddy?" Dante asked, putting his arm around his son's waist when he walked over to him.

"I want to stay here," Bridger announced, causing Dante to laugh.

"I don't think that's a good idea because Tanner's sister is really sick and their mom has enough to worry about without adding another person into the mix," Dante told him.

"Okay," Bridger said sadly.

"So tell Tanner bye and tell his mom thank you for letting him come over after school," Dante told him

"Thank you," he said with a smile at Lulu.

"You're welcome honey, when Lexi gets better, you can come over to play if you'd like," Lulu replied

"Okay," he said excitedly then turned to Tanner. "Bye Tanner."

"Bye Bridger," Tanner waved at his friend.

Dante leaned down to take Mia from Lulu. "Thank you again for everything," she told him.

"It's not a problem, if you need anything, let me know." Dante replied before looking at Maxie. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too," Maxie replied before they left.

"Mom, I'm hungry," Tanner informed Lulu.

"Well you're in luck because I brought you some chicken tenders, Tanner," Maxie said, pulling the to-go container from the brown paper bag.

"Yay!" Tanner exclaimed as Maxie opened the container of food and sat it on the coffee table.

"What do you tell Aunt Maxie for not letting us starve?" Lulu asked her son.

"Thank you Aunt Maxie," He grinned up at her.

"And for you," Maxie said, handing Lulu her food. "A chicken-berry salad with extra berries."

"Thanks Maxie," she replied, opening the container.

"Now," Maxie began, Lulu sighed, knowing what was coming. "This guy…you met him this morning and now he's picking Tanner up from school and keeping him for you."

"Well, Tanner and Bridger are pretty good friends, I didn't see a problem with it," Lulu said.

"But you only met him this morning," she reminded her.

"I don't know how to explain it, it's just like we connected," Lulu explained. "I just felt safe with him, like he understood me and in a world of craziness, I felt at peace just sitting there getting to know a guy without having to worry about whether or not he would want to go on a second date."

"Well, that's understandable, there's no pressure," Maxie agreed. "We all know that being under pressure isn't your strong suit."

"And even though his ex-girlfriend is alive, we've both lost our significant other to horrible things," Lulu said.

"But like I said before, he has baggage," Maxie told her. "What do you know about him other than the fact that he has an ex-girlfriend and two kids?"

"Can we not talk about this in front of Tanner, please?" Lulu asked

"Fine," Maxie replied, then looked at Tanner. "Tanner sweetie, why don't you go eat in the den, you can go watch cartoons in there."

"Maxie!" Lulu exclaimed causing Tanner to eye her questionably. "It's okay honey, go ahead and go."

"Now, back to the guy," Maxie replied, clasping her hands together.

"Don't you have a non-husband to get home to?" Lulu wondered.

"I'm going to have Spinelli do a background check on him and see what he can find," she pressed.

"Maxie, no," Lulu began, and then sighed, knowing she was defeated before the conversation even started.

"Give me a reason not to," Maxie retorted

"Because normal people don't do that and it's an invasion of privacy," Lulu pointed out. "Who says I'll even see him outside of school functions or having Tanner and Bridger over at each other's houses?"

"I bet you will," Maxie nodded with a devious grin.

"I don't think I'm ready for it yet Maxie and I couldn't do that to the kids, I've gone on a few dates before, but this is different, Tanner and Bridger are friends," Lulu began to explain. "If I was to date him and things ended badly, they wouldn't understand why they could only see each other at school."

"Lulu, I have no idea what it feels like to lose a spouse, but I know what it's like to lose a sister and I know that Georgie wouldn't want my life to stop just because she's gone and I know that Johnny would be the same way, he would want you to be happy and actually living your life." Maxie told her.

She had told Lulu this too many times. But she only told it to her because she knew it was true. After Lulu and Johnny had actually fallen in love, he didn't want anything but happiness for her and their children. Maxie knew if Johnny had the chance, he would have given his own life to save Lulu, Lexi or Tanner.

"I know, it's just hard, even after five years, I still feel like I'm betraying him by even looking at a man that way," Lulu admitted.

It had seemed like an eternity ago that she had made those vows to Johnny, and though she didn't mean them at the time she said them, she eventually meant every word. But Johnny was gone now and she had never been quite sure that she was meant to move on.

"I know I can't make you do anything you don't want to, but listen to your heart, Lulu," Maxie said. "It can never steer you wrong."

"This coming from you?" Lulu began to laugh. "That's deep."

"I know, I know…it may have taken me awhile to listen to my heart, but once I did, I knew Spinelli was the man I would spend the rest of my life with," Maxie smiled.

"Yeah, I also thought Johnny was the one I was going to spend the rest of my life with and look how that turned out," Lulu said.

Maxie looked at her friend sadly, even after five years, Lulu still wasn't able to allow herself to even look at another man the way she looked at Johnny, let alone get serious with one. Of course, Maxie couldn't blame her, but part of her wished she could be happy again like she was when things started going right for her and Johnny.

Seeing Lulu lose Johnny was one of the hardest things Maxie ever had to endure, after losing Georgie, of course. She watched as Lulu moved in with Carly and Jax, allowing Carly to care for her two small children and Maxie to take over at Crimson. For nearly six months, Lulu rarely left the Jacks Estate. The only people she would talk to was Maxie and Carly and that was a rare occasion. She could barely look at her children who reminded her so much of Johnny.

Then slowly, but surely, Lulu began to get her life back on track. She started going back to work and spending more time with her Lexi and Tanner and eventually, she moved home. For the most part, things went back to normal. And as time passed, things got easier. The only thing that was never repaired was Lulu's fiery spirit when it came to going out and meeting guys. Maxie had hoped she would be able to date again one day and had even set her up with a few great guys, but Lulu just didn't seem interested.

"Is there anything wrong about just being friends with him?" Maxie asked, knowing Lulu would be more comfortable in a friendship than anything.

"I guess not," Lulu shrugged

"Then that's what you should do, be friends with him," Maxie encouraged.

**Falconeri Home**

Dante walked toward his son's room, he had already put Mia into her crib and was going to tuck Bridger in, as he did every night.

It was still hard for him to wrap his mind around the thought that he was a single father. He had been used to just having Bridger around, but he wasn't really a single father per se. But then when they placed little Mia in his arms along with the papers saying his ex-girlfriend was relinquishing her parental rights, it was a whole different story. He couldn't take care of a baby on his own.

He had tried calling his mom back in Bensonhurst and she had been willing to help him settle in with the kids. That is, until he told her where he was moving, this caused her to be extremely reluctant.

So here he was, taking care of two kids alone. Of course when he was at work, Mia was at daycare and Bridger was at school. He wouldn't trade his kids for anything, but raising them alone was a tough thought.

"Dad, can Tanner come over again tomorrow?" Bridger asked as Dante sat down on the edge of his son's bed.

"I don't think so, I have to work tomorrow," Dante replied. "Maybe one of my days off next week he can though."

"Then can I go over to his house?" he wondered, playing with a Hot Wheels car.

"Well, I think his mom works in the afternoons too," Dante explained.

"Do you like his mom?" Bridger asked, pretending the car was flying through the air, complete with sound effects and all.

"Yeah, she's nice," Dante replied honestly.

"No, I mean do you really like her?" he rephrased, sitting up in bed.

This caught Dante off-guard. He couldn't tell himself the answer to that question, so how was he supposed to answer his 7-year-old son, "I think it's time for you to go to sleep," he said quickly as Bridger laid down and Dante tucked him in, then kissed his forehead. "See you in the morning."

"I love you, Dad," Bridger said, something Dante never got tired of hearing.

"I love you too, Bridge," Dante replied as he turned out the bedroom light and made sure the nightlight was on.

On his way back to his own room, Dante thought of Bridger's question. He didn't know what it was about Lulu, but being around her just felt normal. He trusted her, something that his ex-girlfriend had ruined a long time ago. But with Lulu, he didn't know why, but he felt at ease. His mind wondered if it were due to the fact that they had both lost their significant other in extreme circumstances, because they had both experienced that pain. But it had to be something more than that, he knew it.

Dante had been hurt badly by his ex-girlfriend and for the first time since they split up, he had found himself opening up to someone other than his mother. Honestly, these feelings terrified him because he knew his world could come crashing down because of those feelings. He was so apprehensive when it came to trusting new acquaintances in his life, but for the first time since he split up with his ex-girlfriend, he didn't feel that way. It was as if Lulu had been sent to him for a purpose, he just didn't know what. But he hoped he would have a chance to find out.

_Please let me know what you think! Questions. Comments. Concerns. Whatever._


	4. It's A Party!

_Here it is! I appreciate everyone's feedback! I hope you're enjoying it as much as I enjoy writing it!_

**Chapter 4**

Nearly one month had passed and Lulu barely had time to spend with her children. After being out of the office for almost a week due to her ankle as well as Lexi and Tanner both getting sick, she went back full force.

Even though she had said nothing would hurt to just be friends with Dante, she didn't want to give him the wrong impression. Okay…so maybe part of the reason for throwing herself into her work was so she could avoid him without feeling incredibly guilty.

"There you are…Maya wanted me to go over the guidelines with you again, because she knows how stubborn you can be," Nadine said as Lulu came up to the nurses' station, Lulu shot a teasing glare at her sister-in-law because they both knew Maya was right. "You need to keep the brace on there for at least another two weeks, no unneeded pressure on that ankle and definitely none of those treacherous heels that you work in."

"I told her if that meant getting the cast off, I would agree to it," Lulu replied happily.

"And you will need to come back in two weeks to make sure everything is okay," Nadine reminded her.

"I will do that also," Lulu smiled. "What time would you like for me to have Lexi and Tanner at Wyndemere?"

"Oh you don't have to, we just decided to have Raylene's birthday party at Incredible Pizza, so I can pick them up." Nadine told her. "Is around six okay?"

"Actually, I just remembered Molly is in Chicago this week with school, so Mom will have the kids." Lulu replied. "I guess she will meet you there."

Molly Davis was in her final semester of high school now and she babysat Lexi and Tanner on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. When Laura moved home from France, she had insisted Lulu didn't spend money on childcare for them when she was perfectly capable of keeping them while her daughter was at work. But Lulu felt she was taking advantage of her mother, so they made the compromise that Molly would keep them three days per week and Laura would have them the other two and other days as needed.

"That's right, I forgot about that," Nadine replied. "Are you going to be able to make it?"

"I will be there, but I might be a little late," Lulu told her.

"Okay, I will see you later," Nadine smiled before Lulu turned to walk away.

Lulu turned to walk toward the main entrance, checking her text messages on her cell phone when suddenly she ran into someone.

"I am so sorry, I—" she began, then looked up.

"It's okay," he said before he realized who it was. "Lulu…how have you been?"

"Oh hi," she replied happily, then fumbled with her words. "I-I'm good, things are good…how are you?"

"Good, just had to bring Mia to the pediatrician to get her two-month immunizations," Dante replied.

"Ah…shots are always fun," she sympathized, remembering going through that with Lexi and Tanner.

"How's the ankle?" he questioned, motioning toward the brace on her ankle.

"It's still healing, but I'm going to make a full recovery," she smiled

"Good to know," He grinned back, then there was an awkward pause. "I've been meaning to call, Bridger has wanted to come over to your house, but things have been a little hectic around our house."

"I completely understand, things are always crazy around our house, as well," Lulu replied.

"If you're free sometime next week, maybe we can get the kids together," Dante suggested.

"I'm sure Tanner and Lexi would love that," Lulu agreed.

"Great, I will give you a call to see when would be a good time," Dante flashed her a smile. "I guess I better get her to the pediatrician before we're late."

"Alright, it was nice seeing you again Dante," she replied.

"You too," Dante said. "Watch out for those patches of ice."

"I will," Lulu laughed before they parted ways.

Later that night, Lulu pulled into the parking lot at Incredible Pizza and heard a familiar voice. "You're late," he said as she turned around.

"As are you, big brother," Lulu replied with a smile when he hugged her.

"I just got off work, thank you very much," he told her.

"So did I," she replied.

"You're your own boss," Lucky scoffed with a laugh.

"But we had a lot that needed to be done," she claimed. "Are Liz and the kids here?"

"Yeah, at least they're having it at the one place Cameron would be seen at with the rest of his family, otherwise he wouldn't have been here," Lucky said as they began to walk to the front door.

"Well Lucky, he's 12, it's only going to get worse, you can't expect him to want to hang out with his parents and little brothers for the rest of his life," Lulu explained.

"I knew this would happen someday," Lucky admitted, putting his hands in his jacket pockets. "I just didn't think it would happen so soon,"

"He comes by it honestly, family things have never come easy to anyone in our family…biological or not," Lulu reminded him. "So did you guys make him come?"

"No, Spencer knew he had to be here because it was his little sister's party and so he asked Cam to come so he wouldn't be the only older kid here," Lucky explained.

"Right," Lulu laughed. "At least they can have fun here too."

"Yeah," Lucky said as he held the door open for his sister.

When they walked into the party room, the kids were eating the food on their plates as quickly as possible so they could go play.

"Aunt Lulu, Uncle Lucky!" Raylene squealed, seeing them come through the door and running to greet them as any proper hostess would do.

"Hi sweetie, happy birthday," Lulu said, leaning down to hug her niece.

"Thank you," she replied politely. "And thank you for coming to my party."

Lucky crouched down to eyelevel with Raylene. "How old are you these days, kid, 22?" he teased, she shook her head. "No, you're 37."

"No, I'm five!" she exclaimed.

"You're five?" he questioned. "You're getting old."

"No I'm not, you're old!" she cried, giggling as Lucky held his hand out to give her a high five.

"Hi Mama," Tanner smiled as he came over to his mother.

"Hey buddy, did you have a good day at school?" Lulu leaned down to kiss her son on the forehead.

"Yep," he replied simply before going to take his place at the table next to his sister, who was sitting with Emma Scorpio-Drake, being the social butterfly everyone knew her to be.

"You two better go get something to eat if you're planning on being done before these kids rush us through everything so they can go play." Nikolas laughed as he came up to his brother and sister.

"Okay," Lulu said before they went to get their food.

Once they had finished eating and opening presents, the kids took off to play games in the large arcade, ride go-karts, bumper cars, bowl and play laser tag.

"Mama, will you drive me in a go-kart?" Lexi asked, knowing she wasn't tall enough to drive.

"Of course," Lulu smiled at her daughter, then looked to her sister-in-law. "Care to join us?"

"Sure," Liz shrugged her shoulders.

"Can I go too?" Tanner questioned, running up to them.

"Yeah, you can ride with me, we can beat your mom and sister," Liz told her nephew.

"Is that a challenge?" Lulu asked, cocking her head a little.

"You bet," Liz replied.

"Emma, come on, let's ride the go-karts with Lexi and Tanner," Raylene squealed as she ran toward the stairs that went to the go-kart pit.

"Daddy, will you drive me?" Raylene asked Nikolas, walking a little behind them with Lucky and Patrick.

"Sure, why not?" Nikolas smiled.

"I want to ride with Uncle Lucky!" Tanner exclaimed.

"Then I want to ride with Aunt Liz," Lexi added.

"Thanks a lot," Lulu teased her daughter.

"I will ride with you next, Mama," Lexi promised her mother sweetly.

"Come on Daddy," Emma grabbed Patrick's hand and pulled him toward the stairs.

Lulu walked over to the bleachers where Robin and Nadine had sat down with Laura.

"You got picked last, huh?" Laura asked her daughter teasingly.

"Yeah," Lulu told her.

"Lulu, who was that guy you were talking to today in the hospital?" Robin asked

"What guy?" Laura added quickly.

"The same guy that brought her into the hospital when she broke her ankle," Nadine explained before Lulu could even get a word in.

"Really?" Robin squealed. "What's his name? What's he like?"

"I-I don't really know much about him," Lulu stammered, not sure what to say. "His name is Dante and his son is in Tanner's class, he works for the PCPD…Lucky probably knows more about him than I do."

"Was that his baby?" Robin asked curiously

"Yeah, he and his ex-girlfriend are finished and he has full custody of the kids," she explained.

"How many kids does he have?" Laura questioned, worried her daughter might be getting in over her head.

"Just two, Bridger is the one in Tanner's class and Mia is the baby," Lulu told them. "She is possibly the best baby too."

"Sweetheart, are you sure it's a good idea to be dating a man with kids?" Laura asked. "I mean, sure he may seem like a great guy and all, but there may be something more that you don't know about."

"Okay, first of all, I'm not dating him and second, you know I'm not the type of person to just randomly date men," she stated rationally, but getting her point across. "If I were to date him, I would get to know him a little better before I made any kind of commitment."

"I'm sorry honey, I know that I underestimate you sometimes, but it's only because you're still my little girl and I'm always going to worry about you," Laura looked at her daughter, putting her arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a hug.

"I know you worry about me, but you know that no matter what happens, Lexi and Tanner always come first," Lulu reminded her mother.

"So are you going to pursue some type of relationship with this man?" Nadine asked her.

"I don't know," Lulu replied simply.

She had hoped she could, because Dante was the first man since Johnny who she had felt completely at ease from the minute he walked into the room and honestly, that scared the hell out of her.

**Falconeri Home**

"Dad can we call Tanner's mom to see if he can come over?" Bridger asked as he came into the kitchen where he was cleaning up the dishes from cooking dinner.

"Not tonight buddy, it's a little late," Dante replied, looking at his watch, it was already after 8.

"But I've been asking you since forever if we can have Tanner come over and you always say no," Bridger said with an upset look on his face.

"I know, but we've been really busy," Dante tried to reason, but he did not know if it was for Bridger or himself.

He had actually been very apprehensive when it came to calling Lulu. He felt an immediate connection with her the second her helped her up in the parking lot, although he was sure Lulu didn't feel it. He knew that their last relationships had a multitude of history and that he shouldn't rush it. He also knew that if he did call her, he would probably end up rushing things. He had to try though because—to be honest—he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Dante looked at Bridger again and smiled. The answer was clear…Bridger and Tanner were best friends, so he would use that to keep things a little more casual.

_Let me know what you think! The next chapter is a lot longer than this one!_


	5. Ice and Hot Chocolate

_Once again, thanks for the amazing feedback! I hope you enjoy this chapter, as well! As always, leave me feedback and let me know! The little girl introduced in this chapter is one of my faves, she won't be in the story much, but writing her character is fun. I know the coupling of her parents is a debatable subject, but they won't be in the story much either, so don't worry.  
_

**Chapter 5**

The morning after Raylene's birthday party, Lexi and Tanner woke Lulu up early wanting breakfast, since they had both fallen asleep on the way home from Incredible Pizza. So Lulu fixed bacon, eggs and toast, then after they ate breakfast, she sat down at the kitchen table to drink a second cup of coffee and look at the newspaper.

"Mommyyyy, what are we going to do today?" Lexi asked in a singsong voice as she twirled into the kitchen.

"I don't know, what do you want to do?" Lulu put down the paper and looked at her daughter.

"I dunno," Lexi replied as she phone rang. "I'll get it."

Lexi rushed to answer the phone, then quickly came back to her mother. "Mom, it's for you," Lexi said, handing the phone to her mother, who was sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hello?" Lulu answered

"Lulu…it's Dante," his voice rang through the telephone.

"Oh hi," Lulu replied cheerfully.

"I'm taking Bridger to the ice rink downtown and he suggested we invite Tanner, but I thought maybe you and your daughter would like to join us as well," he said.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" She asked, "I mean, ice and I don't really have a good track record."

Dante wasn't sure what to say, that thought honestly hadn't crossed his mind and now he felt like an idiot, "Oh, uh..."

"I'm kidding…I would love to go, but I probably shouldn't with my ankle still healing," Lulu justified.

"Right," Dante agreed. "If you would still like to go, I know it wouldn't be as fun, but you could watch."

"Um, sure and maybe you could bring Mia along to keep me company," Lulu replied, after thinking about it for a moment. "I think it'll be fun, the kids will enjoy it."

"Okay, would you want me to pick you up or just meet us there?" Dante asked

"We'll ride with you if it's not too much trouble for you to come by," Lulu told him.

"Not at all, will an hour be enough time for you to get ready?" Dante questioned.

"Yeah, that's fine," Lulu replied before they said their goodbyes and ended their call.

"Who was that?" Lexi asked her mother.

"It was Bridger's dad," Lulu answered, not giving Lexi more than what she asked.

"And what did he say?" she grinned.

"He wanted to know if we wanted to go ice skating," Lulu flashed a similar smile at her daughter.

"And what did you say?" Lexi's questions seemed to be never-ending.

"Do you have an Aunt Carly?" Lulu laughed as she cupped her daughter's angelic face in her hands. "Because you're starting to sound an awful lot like her with all of these questions."

"Yesssss," Lexi replied, giggling.

"Come on," Lulu said as she stood up. "Let's go get your brother and find your ice skates."

When they got to the rink, Lexi, Tanner and Bridger took off to the nearest bench and started pulling their shoes off as Lulu unsnapped the car seat from the base and carried it to where Dante had taken the stroller out of the back of the truck.

"Mama, will you help me?" Tanner asked as they got closer to them.

"Sure," Lulu replied, sitting down and helping her son tie the laces on his ice skates.

"Can you help me too?" Bridger asked, sticking his foot on the bench after she had finished helping Tanner.

"Of course," Lulu told him with a warm smile, placing Tanner's shoes on the bench next to her.

"Are you going skating with us, Mama?" Lexi asked as she finished tying her skate, then placed her shoes next to her brother's.

"No, I'm going to take Mia into that café and we're going to watch you from those windows," Lulu said, pointing to the windows where she would be watching them from.

"Okay," Lexi watched as Lulu finished tying Bridger's skates, then placed his shoes with theirs.

"But I want you to be careful and listen to Dante, okay?" Lulu told her daughter.

"I will," she said, as she went toward the ice.

It amazed Lulu at how well both of her children had turned out. Lexi was an all-around princess who loved dance and rarely got in trouble for anything, unless she and her brother were scheming. Then she had her sporty girl side also. She loved fashion, but when you're the daughter of Lulu Spencer-Zacchara, it is a little hard not to. And Tanner—as mischievous as he was—was an exceptionally well-behaved child. It was obvious Zacchara blood ran through his veins because he would try anything at least once and if he didn't get in trouble or hurt, he would probably try it again.

"Okay, I think Mia is set, she's been changed and she should probably be getting hungry in about half an hour, there's a bottle with water in it, all you have to do is pour the formula in it and you'll be set," Dante explained, motioning to the diaper bag.

"I would have never pegged you for the daddy-of-the-year type if I would have met you any other way," Lulu laughed as she placed the kids' shoes in the stroller.

"If you would have told me even five years ago that I was going to be raising two children on my own, I would have never believed you," Dante admitted with a smirk. "But I couldn't imagine anything different or better."

"Dad, come on," Bridger whined from where he and Tanner stood.

"I have to put my ice skates on first Bridge," Dante told his son as he sat down on the bench.

"Lexi already took off, she's pretty independent and she can skate pretty well, so she'll probably do her own thing, just keep an eye on her, but she should be fine," Lulu said.

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on her," Dante nodded as he began putting on his skates.

"Tanner, be good for Dante, okay?" Lulu told her son.

"Okay," he replied with a nod.

Once inside the café, Lulu pushed Mia's stroller over to one of the tables by a window and ordered a cup of coffee, before making Mia comfortable in her stroller.

"Lulu?" a questioned voice called out, not long after she sat down.

Lulu turned around to see Sam walking up to her. "Hi," Lulu smiled, then looked to the little girl holding onto Sam's hand. "Hi Dani."

"Hi Aunt Lulu," Dani replied as Lulu pulled the 3-year-old into a hug.

Since Johnny had worked for Sonny and Jason when he passed away, they had made sure that Lulu and her children were taken care of, not only financially, but physically, as well. Therefore, their families were very close.

"I thought it was you, but then you had this stroller, so I wasn't sure," Sam said.

"Yeah, she's my friend's baby," Lulu explained. "Have a seat."

Sam sat down and pulled her daughter onto her lap. "Where are Tanner and Lexi?" she asked

"They're out on the ice with my friend," Lulu answered, not wanting to give anymore than she had to until Sam asked. "What are you two doing here?"

"Well, Miss Dani insisted on spending the afternoon with us at McCall & Jackal PI," Sam explained. "And I was in dire need of a break, so since this place is right around the corner from our office, we decided to come down here and get some hot chocolate."

"Wow, you're a lucky girl to be able to go to work with your mommy, Dani," Lulu smiled at Dani, who grinned back.

Sam continued to look out the window. "I see Tanner," Sam said, Dani stretched to look out the window. "Is that guy who he's skating with?"

"Yeah," Lulu murmured into her hand when she rested her chin on her palm, knowing what was coming, the tons of questions everyone else seemed to ask.

"Is that other little boy his?" Sam asked, continuing to look, each of the boys had one of Dante's hands.

"Yeah, that's Bridger…he's in Tanner's class," Lulu explained, still waiting for the plethora of questions.

"And where's Lexi?" Sam asked.

"Right there in the chocolate-colored puffer coat with the cream colored knit cap, scarf and gloves," Lulu pointed as Lexi skated around Dante, Tanner and Bridger.

"Oh, I see her," Sam said. "Stylish, as always."

Just then Mia began to fuss in her stroller, "She's crying," Dani said, pointing to the baby.

"Yeah, she's crying, huh?" Sam replied.

Lulu took a bottle from the diaper bag and poured formula in it, then shook it up before taking Mia from her car seat and cradling the baby in her arms. "It's okay, sweet girl," Lulu cooed at the baby, getting her to calm down almost instantaneously before giving her the bottle.

"She's precious," Sam looked at the baby who had dark brown hair and chocolate eyes.

"That she is," Lulu agreed, still watching Mia.

"He's gorgeous too, ya know?" Sam asked, shooting a sideways glance at Lulu.

"What?" Lulu's head shot up.

"The mystery guy that you practically cringe over when someone even thinks to ask a question about him," Sam replied, talking with her hands.

"I do not!" Lulu exclaimed, gaping her mouth open, trying to hide the smile.

"Then tell me about him," Sam demanded defiantly.

"There's nothing to tell…why does everyone assume things?" Lulu asked

"Why are you assuming that we're assuming anything?" Sam countered. "He's a friend of yours, he's in your life and kids' lives, so you can either tell me about him or I will go back to my office and find out for myself."

"Fine," Lulu rolled her eyes, knowing Sam meant what she said.

Once Lulu told Sam about Dante, Sam smiled in victory, "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" she asked

"I hate you sometimes," Lulu glared at her friend, putting Mia onto her shoulder to burp her, then looked at the girl in Sam's lap. "Dani, you need to tell your mama that you want a baby like this."

"Don't put ideas in her head," Sam said, but couldn't help but laugh. "So how do you feel about him?"

"I don't know, I feel like we've bonded over our past relationships and over our kids, of course I've fallen in love with Mia, but I'm not sure that's a good thing," Lulu explained, still patting Mia's back. "And of course having the kids there is a major ice breaker, but we haven't spent that much time together and we've spent less than five minutes together without kids around."

"So you're afraid you might be two totally different people without the kids," Sam observed.

"Right and you know how I am, it's hard for me to get close to anyone," Lulu replied.

"Well, just take it one day at a time, don't worry about tomorrow, because it may never come," Sam reminded her.

Lulu eyed Sam, "Since when did you get so wise about relationships?" she asked

"Well, you know I've had my fair share of hook-ups and heartbreaks and when I finally stopped worrying about what tomorrow will bring, that's when things clicked for Jason and me," Sam explained with a shrug.

"It's also tough when everyone is asking questions and pushing me in that direction and just waiting for me to fall in love again, but honestly, that just makes things worse even when they mean well," Lulu admitted.

"Don't worry about what everyone else thinks," Sam said seriously. "If there's a man who makes you happy and you're in love with—not saying it's Dante—but if it is and your kids love him and he loves your kids, that's good enough."

Lulu groaned, "This is all just so foreign to me," she told her as she rubbed her forehead. "I've never really done the dating thing, I had that fling with Dillon and we went on a few dates, but that was ten years ago, I didn't really date anyone after that. Unless you count the few dates Johnny and I went on before Tanner and Lexi were born, but we were already married."

"Well, if you need advice, I'm not great in the dating department either—Jason and I have never been the traditional type—but if you need a sounding board or anything, you can come to me," Sam assured her.

"Thank you Sam," Lulu said. "You have no idea how much it means to have someone who will listen without putting their own opinions in."

"You're welcome," Same smiled.

Lulu watched as Dani started to chug her not-so-hot chocolate from the Styrofoam cup, when she was done she let out a loud burp, then began to giggle, "Danielle Emily Morgan!" Sam scolded, even though she couldn't help but laugh along with her daughter and Lulu.

"Where did you learn that from, Dani?" Lulu asked, pressing her lips to Mia's cheek in an attempt to hide her laughter.

"Uncle Spinelli," she giggled. "'cept he did it with orange soda."

"I hope he's teaching you to say 'excuse me' too," Sam told her daughter, trying to feign disappointment, but she could never stay angry at the little girl with light brown hair and blue eyes that mirrored her father's.

Sam and Jason had always had a tough time trying to figure out who would be the disciplinarian in the family. Dani was their miracle baby and after years of trying, they finally got their little girl. Of course, she had both of her parents wrapped around her tiny fingers before she was even born.

Dani had Sam's fiery spirit and Jason's charm. As sweet as she was, she was equally mischievous and had an infectious giggle that could make the Queen of England's guards laugh. And she used that to her advantage if she were in trouble.

"What's her name?" Dani asked, pointing at the baby.

"Her name is Mia," Lulu replied as she turned Mia around to face Sam and Dani.

"She is too precious," Sam smiled, gazing at Mia.

"Do you want to hold her?" Lulu asking, knowing Sam was dying to.

"Yes," Sam said excitedly.

Dani perched herself on Sam's right leg as Lulu placed Mia in Sam's arms.

"Hi sweet girl, Miss Mia," Sam cooed as she stared down at the baby, then at Dani. "She's pretty, huh?"

"Dani, tell your mommy that you need a baby like that at your house," Lulu told the girl, once again.

"Ha," was all Sam could get out at first as she rolled her eyes. "You're funny."

"Don't you think she needs a little brother or sister?" Lulu questioned

"Nope, I think she's perfectly happy being an only child," Sam shook her head.

"Mom," Tanner said as he came up to the table they were sitting at and handed Lulu a twenty-dollar bill. "Will you please get us some hot chocolate?"

"All of you?" Lulu asked, Tanner nodded.

"Bridger's dad told me to ask you," he informed her. "He said to tell you that we would be inside in a few minutes."

"Okay," Lulu agreed with her son before he took off out the door again, then she looked to Sam. "I'll be right back."

When she came back to the table, Sam looked up at Lulu, "So, how did you end up at the ice rink today?" she asked

"Dante called and asked if we wanted to join him and Bridger, so I accepted and told him to bring Mia, knowing I would have to sit on the sidelines anyway," Lulu explained. "Of course Tanner was all for it and Lexi thinks she's the queen of ice skating."

"Of course," Sam smiled, shifting Mia in her arms.

"Do you want me to take her?" Lulu asked.

"If you want to," Sam replied, allowing Lulu to take the baby back.

"Can we ice skate, Mommy?" Dani asked with a hopeful look in her eye.

"Not today," Sam told her, pushing a stray hair from Dani's face. "I have to get back to the office soon, we left Uncle Spinelli there, remember?"

"Yeah," Dani replied sadly.

"I would offer to let her stay, but Dante is only used to having Bridger for these kinds of things, so I know it's pushing it with Lexi and Tanner," Lulu told Sam.

"Don't worry about it," Sam replied, then smiled at her daughter. "We should probably get going Miss Dani."

"No, stay," Lulu insisted. "I ordered you guys some more hot chocolate."

"You didn't have to do that," Sam told her.

"I know, but I wanted to, it's okay, really," Lulu replied.

"Here is your hot chocolate," the waitress said, placing the tray on the table.

"Thank you," Lulu smiled.

A few minutes later, Mia was contently asleep on Lulu's chest as Bridger, Lexi and Tanner came bounding in the door with Dante not far behind them.

"It's cold out there, Mama," Lexi said, coming to Lulu first.

"I know it is," Lulu replied, pulling Lexi into her embrace to warm her up.

"Danielley," Lexi squealed upon seeing Dani.

When Dani was born, Spinelli had insisted on calling her Danielley because it rhymed with Spinelli. Lexi—being 3-years-old at the time—also took to calling her that, even though everyone else called her Dani.

"Hi," Dani waved.

"Why don't you, Tanner and Bridger take your gloves, hats and scarves off and sit at that booth and we will bring your hot chocolate to you," Dante suggested to Lexi.

"Okay," she grinned excitedly, then told her brother and Bridger what to do as they went to the booth next to the table Lulu was sitting at.

"Do you want to go sit at the table with Lexi?" Sam asked her daughter, who nodded in reply before getting out of her mother's lap and going to the other table.

"One of those with a lid on it is Dani's," Lulu told Dante.

"Alright," Dante picked up four of the cups of hot chocolate with lids and carried them over to the kids' table, "Okay guys, be careful and try not to spill it."

"Okay," they replied harmoniously.

"Dante, I would like you to meet my friend Sam McCall," Lulu said as Dante took a seat next to her. "Sam, this is Dante…Bridger is his son and of course you've already met Mia."

"Nice to meet you," Dante nodded warmly.

"You too," Sam replied. "Your daughter is precious."

"Thank you," Dante smiled proudly, then looked at his daughter sleeping on Lulu's chest. "Do you need me to take her?"

"Oh no, she's fine," Lulu stopped him. "I like holding her."

Sam glanced from Lulu to Dante, then back again as the two smiled at each other, "So Dante…what is it that you do?" she asked.

"I am a police officer," he told her. "I recently got a job with the PCPD, that's why I moved here, that and I didn't think New York City was any place to raise children, even though that's where all of my family is."

"Oh, definitely not," Sam agreed.

"I was just trying to talk Sam into having another baby," Lulu made an attempt at changing the subject.

"Does she have a right to do that?" Dante asked Sam, shooting her a smirk.

"Actually, she does," Sam nodded. "You see…illegally, we're sisters-in-law."

"Illegally?" Dante's forehead wrinkled with his question.

"Do you remember me mentioning a non-biological brother that day in the ER?" Lulu asked him.

"Yeah," he nodded in response.

"That would be Jason," Lulu told him. "And Jason and Sam are together."

"Ah," he said. "I get it now."

"Bridger just started at PC Prep this semester, so Dante is still trying to get acquainted with other parents," Lulu explained to Sam.

"Dad, I have to go to the bathroom," Bridger came up to the table and whispered to Dante.

"Okay buddy, come on," Dante said, getting up. "I'll be right back."

After Dante was out of earshot, Lulu looked at Sam, "Well?"

"Well what?" Sam asked

"What do you think of him?" Lulu's eyes got wide, knowing Sam was just trying to frustrate her.

"I think he's a nice guy," Sam replied. "But I'm still going to do a little investigating."

"Sam, why?" Lulu exclaimed

"Because that's who I am," Sam shrugged. "And I don't want you to get hurt."

After talking for a little while longer, Sam had to get back to work, "I don't want to go, Mommy," Dani whined.

"I'm sorry, we have to go help Spinelli, remember?" Sam said

"But I want to skate," she pouted.

"If you don't mind, she can stay and skate with us," Dante spoke up.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked. "I mean, four kids, that's a lot to handle."

"It's fine, the boys can skate together and Lexi does her own thing, so I can help her," Dante explained. "And of course Lulu is watching from up here."

"Is that okay with you?" Sam asked Lulu.

"It's fine with me," Lulu replied.

Sam turned back to Dante, "You're a brave man," she smiled, then looked at Dani, "Be good for Lulu and Dante, okay?"

"I will," Dani replied as Sam kissed her forehead.

"Call me when you're ready for me to come pick her up," Sam told Lulu.

"Will do," Lulu smiled. "Or we can probably bring her by the office."

"That's fine," Sam said before kissing Dani again, then heading for the door.

Dante walked over to the kids' table and clapped his hands together, "Who's ready to go ice skating?" he asked them.

"Me!" the four voices chimed in.

"Then throw your cups in the trash and let's go," Dante said.

"See ya later Mom," Tanner told Lulu as he and Bridger bounded past her.

"Be careful you two," she said.

"Are you going to stay here again?" Lexi asked as she held onto Dani's hand.

"Yeah, Mia might get sick if she's out in the cold," Lulu replied. "But you be my mother hen and watch out for your brother and Bridger and help Dante with Dani, okay?"

"I will," she grinned widely.

"Okay, let's go get Dani some ice skates," Dante told the girls before they bolted for the door.

When they got back to Lulu's, she invited Dante in as Lexi, Tanner and Bridger ran upstairs to play, "I'm surprised they're still going," Dante stated. "Bridger usually falls asleep on the way home after a day like this."

"Lexi and Tanner feed off of each other, so it's a little harder to settle them down once they get going," Lulu replied as they went into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"I guess that's a plus," he admitted as he made sure Mia was still asleep in her car seat. "I don't like letting Bridger take naps in the late afternoon because he won't want to go to sleep at bedtime."

"Yeah, we usually don't do naps unless someone is sick or they're just completely worn out from something, which is rare," Lulu said.

"I know, I wish I had half the energy Bridger has, it would be nice," Dante replied.

"No kidding, I get exhausted just by watching Lexi and Tanner run around," she laughed.

"Today was fun though," he said. "But maybe next time we can do something that will include you and Mia."

"Maybe so," she replied. "I kind of liked getting to sit back and relax while you did all the work."

"So that's all I'm good for?" he questioned with a smirk.

"Maybe," she laughed again. "We should get the kids together more often though, I think they really enjoyed it."

"Mom," Lexi said as she hurried down the stairs. "Can we go play outside?"

By this time, Lexi had her hands pressed to her mother's knees and their mirroring faces were inches from each other, Lulu let out a laugh, "I don't care, but you better ask Bridger's dad if it's okay with him."

"Can we?" Lexi asked sweetly with a grin.

"Yeah, but we're going to have to leave soon," Dante told her. "It's almost dinnertime."

"Mama can cook," Lexi suggested. "And you can stay longer."

"I wouldn't want to bother your mom with something like that," Dante said.

"Actually," Lulu spoke up. "After you chased after the kids all day, it's the least I could do."

"You don't have to, really," he insisted. "I didn't mind chasing after them."

"And I don't mind making dinner," she pressed.

"Can we have enchiladas?" Lexi asked

"I think you better ask our guests if that is okay with them," Lulu suggested

"Is that okay with you?" Lexi grinned at Dante.

"That is perfectly fine with me," Dante smiled back at the girl.

"Can we go play outside now?" Lexi wondered as she looked back to her mom.

"Yeah, get out of here," Lulu laughed.

**Later that evening, **after the children had recapped their day in a complete play-by-play fashion, not allowing Lulu or Dante get a word in edgewise, it was time for Dante, Bridger and Mia to leave.

"Bye Tanner, bye Lexi!" Bridger called as he ran toward his father's truck.

"Bye," the two children called from the porch.

"Thanks again for dinner, Lulu," Dante said. "It was great."

"I'm glad you liked it," Lulu smiled. "Thanks for inviting us to go ice skating with you and Bridger today."

"You're welcome, I've had fun today," Dante said.

"Me too," Lulu agreed.

"I'll see you at school Monday," Dante told her.

"See ya," she said before he got into the truck.


	6. It's Not A Marriage Proposal

_So this chapter is pretty short, but I think you'll be happy with it. At least I hope you will =)_

**Chapter 6**

"Hey, what's so important that I needed to come over the kids' soccer practice?" Lulu asked as she walked into Sam and Jason's penthouse.

"Oh, I just wanted to show you what I came up with on this Dante guy," Sam replied, getting up off the couch and walking over to the desk by the door and picking up a folder.

"Sam…" Lulu sighed, placing her purse on the desk.

"No, no," she began, holding her hand up to stop her friends. "Just listen."

"Fine," Lulu relented as she followed Sam and they sat down on the couch. "Well?"

"Well, I have to say he has a squeaky clean record," Sam began. "He worked for the NYPD for six years before transferring here after his long-term girlfriend got on drugs."

"I already knew all of this," Lulu told her.

"Then what's his last name?" Sam challenged.

"I…" Lulu began and realized she had no clue. "I don't know, it's never come up."

"Falconeri," Sam said.

"As in Kate's real name?" Lulu's mouth gaped open. "Do you think he's here because of her?"

"I don't know, it could just be coincidence," Sam shrugged. "But you know as well as I do that things like that don't happen in Port Charles."

"Maybe he just heard about it because of her," Lulu suggested.

"Or maybe he's going to try to avenge her death since she died because she was connected to Sonny," Sam replied

"Why hasn't anyone said anything to me about it?" Lulu wondered

"Well, not everyone knew Kate's real name," Sam said.

"So should I ask him about it?" Lulu asked.

"I would," Sam replied. "I mean, be casual about it, but I would ask."

"Okay," Lulu agreed, and then looked at the clock. "Well, I better get to the school to pick up the kids, they have their first soccer practice this afternoon and Josslyn is coming home with us."

"Thanks for coming by," Sam told her friend as they both stood up. "That's a cute top."

"Thanks, it's yours," Lulu said quickly as she walked toward the door.

"It's mine?" Sam asked incredulously. "How did you…"

"Bahamas," they said in unison.

"And you're not getting it back," Lulu smiled before starting out the door. "Bye."

At the indoor soccer field, they were waiting for the high school team to get through with their practice.

"Aunt Lulu, how much longer until we can go play?" Josslyn questioned as she and her cousins played on the bleachers.

"Not much longer, Joss," Lulu replied, sending an e-mail to one of the interns asking how the photo shoot she had to miss went.

"Mom look, there's Bridger and his dad," Tanner pointed to where Bridger and Dante were walking in. "Can I go say hi?"

"Sure," Lulu nodded

Tanner took off down the bleachers toward his friend, and then guided them back to where Lulu was seated.

"Where's Mia?" Lulu asked Dante as Bridger and Tanner went a little further down the bleachers to where Lexi and Josslyn were playing.

"She's at daycare, I was running late and I knew I had to be here to fill out all of the forms for soccer, so I waited to pick her up at daycare," Dante replied, taking a seat next to Lulu.

"So you're going to let him play soccer, huh?" She asked.

"Yeah, he said Tanner was playing, so he wanted to play too," Dante replied

"He's going to love it," Lulu assured him. "Lexi and Tanner have been playing since they started Pre-K."

"I never would have pegged you for the soccer mom type," Dante teased.

"Well, I didn't either until I had them," Lulu admitted, watching her children. "I would do anything for those two."

"Do you like get angry and try to fight other parents?" Dante wondered with a laugh.

"No," Lulu laughed at the thought. "I've seen parents do that though."

"Mom, there's Coach Fisher out there," Tanner said, pointing to the field. "Can we go?"

"I don't care, but make sure you have your pieces of paper you're supposed to give to Coach Fisher," Lulu replied.

"Where are they?" Lexi asked, looking in her bag.

"Here," Lulu said, holding the papers out for them to take.

"Here are yours, Bridger," Dante added, handing the papers to his son.

After practice, the two families went separate ways, but before he chickened out, Dante knew he had to ask. He looked over to see Lexi, Tanner and Josslyn were getting into the SUV as Lulu was putting their things in the back.

"Bridger, go ahead and get in the truck buddy," Dante told his son as he started toward Lulu, a few vehicles down from his in the parking lot.

"Okay Dad," Bridger replied.

"Lulu," Dante was unsure of how to approach the subject as she shut the back of her SUV and Lexi, Tanner and Josslyn got in. "I've been meaning to ask you, but…to be honest I haven't had the guts to. So here it goes…would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow night, just you and me?"

_It's just a date Lulu, not a marriage proposal. _She panicked, but tried not to let it show, "Uh sure, I'd like that," she smiled, she did want to go with him, but the thought of even wanting to go scared her to death.

"Great," he replied. "I'll see you in the morning."

"The kids don't have school tomorrow, remember?" Lulu reminded him.

"Right, teachers' meeting," he nodded. "So I'll come by around 7 to pick you up."

"Okay," she replied.

"See ya," Dante said before walking back toward his truck.

"Bye," Lulu replied as she got into her own vehicle.

She was unsure of what to say or do, so she decided to make a detour on the way home.

When Lulu pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street, she heard her daughter call out, "Mom, our house is the other way!"

"I know, we have a stop to make before we go home," Lulu told her.

"Where are we going?" Tanner wondered.

"Um, I have to go talk to Aunt Carly," Lulu replied, turning down the street the Metro Court was on.

"Yay!" Josslyn squealed.

"Can I go see Aunt Maxie when we get there?" Lexi asked

"I don't think so honey," Lulu replied. "Aunt Maxie is working hard so I could take you guys to soccer practice, remember?"

"Okay," Lexi sighed.

"Maybe some other time though," Lulu told her daughter.

A few minutes later, the four of them were stepping off the elevator on the top floor of the Metro Court Hotel where Carly's office was located.

"Mommy!" Josslyn squealed when she saw her mother walking down the hall.

"Hi baby girl," Carly said surprised as Josslyn practically leapt into her arms. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Are you busy?" Lulu asked. "Because if this is a bad time, we can come back."

"No, I was just about to walk down to Jax's office to tell him I would be able to pick up Joss after work," Carly smiled at her daughter, then looked back to Lulu. "What's up?"

"I need to talk to you about a certain parent at school," Lulu hinted, not wanting to let the kids know what was going on.

"Oh…ohhhh," Carly said, then looked at Josslyn. "Why don't you, Lexi and Tanner to go find your daddy and tell him I'll be there in a few minutes?"

"Okay," Josslyn smiled as Carly put her down and she took off down the hall with her cousins toward Jax's office.

"So…what's going on?" Carly asked as they went into her office.

"Um, Dante asked me to go to dinner with him tomorrow night," Lulu said quickly.

"What?" Carly sat down at her desk the same moment her jaw dropped. "You said yes right?"

"Yeah, but that's not the point," Lulu replied, also sitting down, but at the edge of her chair.

"Then what is the point, Lulu?" Carly asked, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.

"I don't know, I'm freaking out about it," Lulu said.

"Why?" Carly questioned, throwing her arms in the air.

"Because I actually _want_ to go out with him," Lulu admitted in an anxious tone.

"That's good, Lulu," Carly told her.

"But I feel like I'm betraying Johnny by going on a date with Dante," Lulu countered.

"Do you honestly think Johnny would want you to be a miserable single mother for the rest of your life?" Carly asked. "Because I know he was not that selfish, that man loved you and your children with everything that he had, he wouldn't want any of you to be unhappy."

Lulu smiled a little at that comment because she knew Carly was right, "I guess you're right," she mumbled.

"What was that?" Carly loved hearing those words.

"I said you're right, Carly!" Lulu repeated before they both started laughing, then Lulu smiled. "Thank you for talking me through this."

"That's what cousins are for," Carly replied, walking around her desk to hug Lulu.

"Well, I should probably get the kids home," Lulu sighed. "I promised they could help me fix dinner."

"I'll be by to pick up Josslyn in an hour or so," Carly said, opening the door for her cousin.

"Okay, you don't have to rush, we're having pigs-in-a-blanket for dinner," Lulu replied.

"Ooh, I might have to hang around for that one," Carly smiled before Lulu started down the hall to get the kids.

_Let me know your thoughts!_


	7. That Would Be One Word For It

**Chapter 7**

The next day, Lulu was in her office when Maxie came barging through the door, "What are you wearing tonight?" she demanded

"What are you talking about?" Lulu wondered, afraid she had made prior plans with Maxie.

"On your date tonight, what are you wearing?" Maxie asked, walking around, and then sitting on the edge of Lulu's desk.

"How did you know I had a—" Lulu stopped.

"Carly," they both said in unison.

"I should've know," Lulu sighed

"But that doesn't matter," Maxie spoke quickly. "What are you going to wear?"

"I don't know," Lulu replied. "I'm not even sure where we're going."

"You should probably call him," Maxie nodded

Lulu sighed, then picked up her cell phone to call him, "I hate you," she told her friend as the phone rang.

"Hey," he said casually when he answered the phone.

"Hi," Lulu replied. "Um, I was just calling to see where we're going tonight."

"It's a surprise, actually," he said.

"Okay then, what should I wear?" Lulu questioned, now kicking herself for agreeing to this, she hated surprises, especially when she didn't know what the person giving the surprise was capable of.

"Well, I think clothes would be appropriate," he teased, leaning back in his chair at his desk.

This caught Lulu off guard, she was not used to Dante joking around like that, but she started laughing, partly because she became more nervous than she already had been, "What would be appropriate attire?" she asked. "Jeans or a dress?"

"Not jeans," he said, still teasing her.

"Well, like a casual dress or a dressy dress?" she wondered.

"I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say dressy," he taunted, but honestly not knowing what would be considered casual or dressy.

Lulu was still laughing, but she wasn't really sure why, "That's all I needed to know," she said. "I will see you later."

"Okay," he replied before they hung up the phone.

Later that evening, Dante put on his suit jacket and straightened his tie one last time while looking in the mirror. He hadn't been this nervous in a long time. He had always thought only teenage girls got butterflies, but the thought of going on a date with Lulu honestly gave him butterflies.

Dante walked into the living room where the sitter was playing checkers with Bridger.

"Where are you going Daddy?" Bridger asked

"I'm going to meet with someone," Dante replied, walking over to his son and kissed him on the head. "Be good for Hailey,"

"Okay," Bridger said.

Hailey worked at the daycare Bridger and Mia went to. She was a sophomore at PCU and would baby-sit on the nights Dante was on-call and ended up having to go in.

"Hailey, as usual, you have my cell number, you know where things are," Dante told the girl. "The pizza should be here in about 10 minutes, the money is on the counter in the kitchen."

"Okay," Hailey replied. "Have fun tonight."

"Thanks," Dante said, walking toward the door. "And call if you need anything."

"I will," Hailey assured him as he walked out.

Meanwhile, Lulu was running around her room trying to finish getting ready before Dante got there, but she and Maxie had taken over an hour trying to decide what she would wear. They had agreed upon a simple tea-length sapphire dress with a square neckline from Maxie's closet.

"No, not that necklace," Maxie shrieked as she noticed the piece of jewelry her friend was about to clasp. "You need to wear the necklace that goes with these earrings because the earrings look better with the way I did your hair."

Lulu glanced at the earrings in Maxie's hand, then at Maxie as if she were absolutely crazy, "I've been in the fashion industry for nearly ten years and there are still some things that I absolutely do not understand," she said, looking for the necklace that went with the earrings in Maxie's hand.

"You'll thank me when you see the look on Dante's face," Maxie smiled.

"If you say so," Lulu sighed as she clasped the right necklace around her neck, then took the earrings from Maxie. "Okay, I have like two minutes before he is supposed to be here, so how do I look?"

Maxie watched as Lulu did a slow spin, "I think I liked the emerald dress better," she said objectively.

"Maxie," Lulu groaned.

"I'm kidding," Maxie said, putting her hands on Lulu's shoulders. "You look perfect."

"Thank you," Lulu smiled as the doorbell rang.

"He's early, that's good," Maxie said as Lulu began to hyperventilate a little. "Just calm down, it's okay."

"Will you lock up when you leave?" Lulu asked, grimacing as she put her feet into the flats that she had to wear because of her ankle, not that she would admit it, but heels were her guilty pleasure.

"Of course, go," Maxie nodded.

"Thank you so much for helping me tonight," she said, hugging her friend briefly.

Lulu started down the staircase, thankful Lexi and Tanner had wanted to stay with her mom because she did not want them getting any ideas when their friend's father was picking their mother up for a date.

Maxie, on the other hand, hid at the top of the stairs so she could eavesdrop.

When Lulu opened the door, Dante was at a loss for words, standing there looking sexier than ever in his suit, "What, do I have something on my dress?" Lulu asked, glancing down at her dress, then back to him.

"No," he nodded with an open-mouth smile. "You…you look beautiful."

Lulu was taken aback by that comment; it had been a very long time since someone had told her that, "Thank you," she smiled back. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"Are you ready?" Dante asked

Lulu grabbed her clutch and cardigan from the coat rack next to the door, "Yes," she smiled.

Dante was hoping for the best of the evening. He had been on a couple of dates since he and his ex-girlfriend had broke up and neither led to anything more, but this was different. He actually liked being with Lulu and her children.

Lulu hoped Dante didn't notice her unsteady hand as he opened the truck door and helped her in.

"So where are you taking me?" Lulu asked as Dante started backing out of the driveway.

"Oh, I thought we could go to that little place called Kelly's," Dante replied nonchalantly.

Lulu's mouth gaped open, "But you told me to wear a dress, I can't wear this just to go to dinner at Kelly's," she said

"At least you'll be the prettiest woman there," he shrugged, but grinned at her.

"I'm not going to Kelly's dressed like this," Lulu crossed her arms in defiance.

"Easy there, killer," Dante began to laugh. "We're not going to Kelly's."

"Then where are we going?" Lulu asked cautiously

"You'll see," he assured her. "But I think you'll like it."

When they pulled up to an upscale Italian restaurant near the harbor, Lulu smiled.

Her smile didn't go unnoticed by Dante, "See, I told you you'd like it," he said as he pulled up to the valet.

"What had you so sure?" She questioned

"Well…I might have asked your brother some of your favorite places to eat," he confessed, then got out of the vehicle before Lulu could say anything.

She cocked her head a little and decided to let that one slide, but made a mental note to remind Lucky not to meddle anymore as Dante came around to open her door.

Once they had ordered, they had made a few attempts at deflecting the conversation from their kids, but neither was succeeding.

"So how did Bridger like soccer practice last night?" Lulu asked, placing her cloth napkin in her lap.

"He loved it, he can't wait to start playing," Dante replied

"Soccer is all Lexi and Tanner have been talking about since the semester started," Lulu said.

"I had hoped he would want to play t-ball," Dante admitted.

"Oh, he still can if he wants to," Lulu replied. "Coach Fisher and the kids' T-ball coach coordinate practices until soccer is over and the majority of the T-ball season isn't until after school is out."

"You'll have to get me the contact info for the coach…" Dante said, then stopped. "And we're doing it again."

"Doing what?" Lulu asked

"Talking about the kids," he laughed, throwing his hand in the air. "I apologize; I know we had agreed we wouldn't center our conversation on them."

"I know," Lulu also began to laugh. "It seems our lives revolve around them."

"I don't suppose it's a bad thing," Dante said. "I had just hoped to get to know you a little better."

"Well, where should I start?" Lulu asked. "You already know about my brothers."

"What about your parents?" Dante questioned

"Well, my mom lives here in Port Charles, she keeps Tanner and Lexi twice-a-week and then when I need her, that's actually where they are tonight," Lulu explained, but then stopped when she realized she was bringing the kids back into the conversation. "And then my dad is married to Tracy Quartermaine, so part of the time he lives at the Quartermaine mansion and sometimes he gets these wild hairs and takes off to parts unknown."

"I think Lucky might have mentioned him," Dante said. "He runs that casino boat thing."

"The Haunted Star," Lulu nodded before taking a sip of her wine. "So what about you, what's your story?"

"Well, I grew up in Bensonhurst, my ma is Olivia Falconeri, she had me when she was 16 and I don't know who my dad is," Dante began. "I had heard of Port Charles because my cousin Connie was living here before she passed away."

"Kate," Lulu said, thinking back briefly to Sam's research, but then pushed it out of her mind. "I didn't even make the connection of your last name."

"And you run her company now, don't you?" He asked, realizing how small of a world they lived in. "I didn't even think about that until you mentioned Kate."

"Yeah," Lulu nodded. "I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for her."

"Did you always want to be in the fashion business?" Dante asked, Lulu couldn't help but let out a scoff at his question.

"No," she said. "I needed a job and my cousin's husband owned part of the company, so my cousin got me a job to spite Kate, I had to work with Maxie and we hated each other at the time, so that made things so much more interesting, eventually I fell in love with my job and then the fashion industry."

Her mind went through a few of her most cherished memories she had at Crimson, "The day Jax offered the company to me and Maxie, I was thrilled," she smiled. "What about you? Did you always want to be a cop?"

"For as long as I can remember," Dante replied. "Since I didn't have a dad, I had to settle for a lot of role models, but the one who was in my life the most was Officer Poletti, to this day, he is still one of the best men I know."

"That's good that you had a good, strong role model," Lulu said. "So is your mom still back in Bensonhurst?"

"Yeah, I've tried to get her to visit, but she always comes up with excuses not to or convinces me to bring the kids there," Dante replied.

"What made you want to move to Port Charles?" Lulu asked.

"Well, after Camilla left, I really needed a change of scenery. I mean, I didn't even want to be in our apartment anymore. And I knew I didn't really want to raise my kids in the city. Don't get me wrong, I loved growing up there, but it was a different place then than it is now," Dante confessed. "So I started researching towns in upstate New York, I had heard Connie mention Port Charles a few times, so I looked and really liked it, so I rented a house and got settled in before Mia was born. I'm hoping to actually buy a house soon though, make it a little more permanent. I like Port Charles, I like the people here."

"Yeah, the people here are great," Lulu added. "Granted, we do have our share of crazies, but if you look hard enough, you can find something that's worth living for."

"You sure can," Dante agreed as they both smiled at each other.

After dinner, instead of having the valet pull the car around, Lulu and Dante decided to take a walk down the pier.

"Wow, they've put quite a few shops down here," Lulu said, looking in the windows of some of the stores as they walked by.

"Are you familiar with this area?" Dante asked

"Yeah," Lulu replied. "At least I used to be. Johnny and I always came on walks down here when Lexi and Tanner were babies."

"You know, if you would rather go somewhere else, we can," Dante said, knowing it could upset her.

"No, it's fine," Lulu assured him. "Does talking about him make you uncomfortable?"

"No, I just didn't want to upset you," Dante replied, then paused. "I would actually love to hear the story of you and Johnny."

"Really?" she asked, surprised. "You're not just trying to be nice?"

"No, I'd really like to hear it…if you're okay with sharing it with me, that is," Dante replied.

"I'll try to give you the short version, um…it started when he was in the mob, working with his brother-in-law, Sonny Corinthos, and I witnessed him beating the crap out of someone who ended up dying due to the injuries, so I had to marry him to keep from testifying, I couldn't stand him at first, I thought he had killed this person for no reason. Come to find out, he saw this guy trying to rape some girl. He lost it and went after the guy. So then about two months later, I went out with Liz, Nadine, Maya and some of the other nurses and doctors at the hospital for a girls' night, I got drunk off my ass. He went out and did the same thing, we ended up having sex, I got pregnant with Lexi and Tanner, and after that, it was like we both became different people. We fell madly in love with these two precious beings before they were even born and in turn fell in love with each other. When Lexi and Tanner were sixteen-months-old, Johnny had gone on an errand for his brother-in-law and someone had cut his brake lines…" Lulu's words caught in her throat, he looked over and saw she was quickly wiping away tears.

"It's okay, you don't have to go on," Dante told her, placing his hand gently on her back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to completely break down on you," Lulu replied, wiping her eyes again.

"Well, if you didn't show at least a little emotion, I may be worried," Dante said, making her laugh a little. "It's okay…really."

"Can I ask you a question?" She asked

"You just did," he teased as they continued to walk.

Lulu couldn't help but let out a laugh, "I'm serious, but if you don't want to answer it, you don't have to."

"Okay," he answered cautiously as they sat down on a bench.

"How come you never married Bridger and Mia's mom?" she asked.

"Camilla and I had known each other for most of our lives and had been together for nearly ten years," Dante began. "I had actually planned on proposing before she found out she was pregnant with Bridger, but I didn't get around to it until afterward. She told me that we shouldn't change what was working just because she was pregnant. I tried to convince her otherwise, but she wouldn't have it. And as quickly as you and your husband bonded over Lexi and Tanner, we grew apart. We stayed together and I still loved her, but it was just different."

"When did she start with the drugs?" Lulu questioned

"I'm not really sure when it all started, around two years ago, I think," he replied. "When I found out, I was completely appalled, that wasn't who she was."

"So was she doing drugs when she was pregnant?" Lulu wondered, not completely sure she wanted the answer.

"I'm not sure," Dante replied, not really wanting to think about it. "Mia hasn't shown any effects of them, so I think she stopped while she was pregnant, but you never know."

"How did Bridger take her leaving?" Lulu asked, her heart breaking for those kids.

"I thought he handled it very well," Dante admitted. "Of course, I later found out that she had been leaving him with a sitter while I was at work, so to Bridger, it was like she slowly disappeared. He asks about her every once in awhile, more so now that he sees Tanner and Lexi with you."

Lulu eyes filled with tears again and she had to fight to keep them from running down her cheeks as she shook her head, "I couldn't imagine walking out on my kids," she said, surrendering to her tears.

"I'm sure Camilla never did either until she started doing drugs," Dante replied.

"Bridger and Mia are lucky to have you as a dad," Lulu said. "There aren't many men who would step up like you did."

"It wasn't easy, but all I had to do was look at them and know that it was what I was meant to do," Dante smiled. "You know, you're not much different."

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

"I just think that how well Lexi and Tanner behave and how polite they are is a testament to what a good mother you are," he told her.

"Thank you, but you wouldn't have thought that, had you met me 5 years ago," Lulu confessed

"Why is that?" he asked.

Lulu paused for a moment, "After Johnny died, I moved in with my cousin Carly and for about six months, she and her husband, Jax, were the ones raising my kids," she explained.

"And you think that makes you a bad mother?" he questioned, almost laughing, then became serious. "Lulu, your husband had just passed away…I don't think I blame you. I know how it felt when Camilla left and it was just me and Bridger and that was the scariest feeling in the world. And when they placed Mia in my arms for the first time, I wanted to hand her back and crawl under a rock. Does that make either of us bad parents? I don't think so, we do what we have to do to survive."

Lulu was taken aback, but smiled, "Wow…" she said, shocked that had come from him. "I guess I never thought of it that way."

"See, I can be deep," Dante joked.

"I'm glad I was wrong about you," Lulu admitted, becoming bold and placing her hand on his that was resting on his knee.

"What, you didn't think I could be deep?" he asked incredulously, pretending to be insulted.

Lulu's mouth gaped open as she laughed, "No," she said quickly. "I was just afraid that without the kids, we wouldn't know how to act around each other."

"So I have met your expectations?" he teased

"I would say so," she grinned, then paused. "I was actually afraid that I would make a mess of this whole thing."

"Why is that?" Dante questioned, flipping his hand over to lace their fingers together.

"History," she sighed. "I had never really dated until after Johnny passed away…even then Carly and Maxie all but forced me out the door and even the times I didn't mean to, I would screw it up somehow. I would either not talk at all or I would talk too much about the kids or Johnny. Most guys don't even want you to think about a previous spouse; much less hear anything about them."

"I'm not most guys, Lulu," he said, meaning it, but he really wanted to kiss her, he just wasn't sure she was ready.

When Lulu looked up, Dante had a look on his face that calmed her nerves the moment she looked into his eyes, "I'm starting to realize that," she smiled, noticing they were so unbearably close. "Would you just kiss me already?"

"Gladly," he replied, placing his hand softly at the back of her neck and pulling her toward him, eliminating the gap between them and crashing their lips together.

He ran his tongue over her bottom lip in a silent plea to deepen the kiss, which Lulu did not deny. With their fingers still laced together, Lulu took her free hand to move it to the side of his face lovingly. She was glad they were sitting down because she probably would have gone weak in the knees and melted into a puddle at his feet.

When they pulled away, they were both shocked, not only by the spontaneity, but the intensity of the kiss.

"Wow, that was…" she paused, trying to catch her breath, searching for the right word, allowing her fingers to graze over her bottom lip as if she could feel an electric current flowing through it.

"Amazing," he finished, as she looked into his eyes.

"That would be one word for it," she smiled.

The next day, Lulu was able to sleep late before her mother brought Lexi and Tanner home. She was thankful for that because upon returning to her house the night before, she invited Dante in and they sat on the couch talking until one. Then she finally returned the one million phone calls from Maxie that she had been ignoring. Maxie proceeded to force Lulu to give her a complete play-by-play of her night, keeping her up another two hours,

Lulu was sitting on one of the barstools at the kitchen island, drinking coffee and looking at some of the latest from Fashion Week in Milan on her laptop when she heard her front door open.

"Mom!" Lexi exclaimed.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Lulu replied, making her way into the living room.

"Mama!" Lexi squealed, wrapping her arms around Lulu's waist.

"Hi sweetie," Lulu replied, placing her arms around her daughter. "Did you and Tanner have fun at Grandma's?"

"Yeah, Raylene came over too and Grandma let us have ice cream for breakfast," Lexi said happily.

"Oh she did?" Lulu asked, when it came to her children and her mom, she did not mind that they were getting spoiled because she knew her mother felt guilty about missing out on so much of Lulu's childhood.

"Yeah and we had a campout!" Tanner added.

"In the living room," Laura added quickly, knowing her daughter would think she was crazy for allowing her grandchildren to sleep outside in March.

"Wow, that sounds like fun," Lulu said. "Were you two good for Grandma?"

"Yep," They said in unison.

"Can I go play outside?" Tanner asked.

"If you'll go put your stuff upstairs first," Lulu replied

"Okay," he groaned.

"You too, Lexi Lu," Laura told her granddaughter. "Take your things upstairs for Mom."

"Alright," she replied as she and her brother picked up their belongings and started upstairs.

"Would you like some coffee?" Lulu asked as she and Laura walked into the kitchen.

"No thank you, I had mine when I got up four hours ago," Laura replied, noting her daughter was still in her pajamas. "Did you have a good time last night?"

"Yeah, we did," Lulu replied, sitting back down on the bar stool as Laura leaned against the counter. "He took me to this seafood restaurant by the harbor, and then we walked down the pier and just talked."

"Good," Laura smiled. "I'm glad you had a nice time, sweetie."

"I am too," Lulu replied. "Of course, I was just glad it didn't end in disaster."

"Did he kiss you?" Laura asked.

"Maybe," she smiled coyly.

"Mama, where's the soccer ball?" Tanner asked from the living room, interrupting the conversation.

"I think it's in the garage," Lulu shouted back, then heard two sets of little feet quickly making their way through the kitchen and toward the garage. "If it's on a shelf and you can't reach it, you better come get me, I don't want you climbing on stuff and getting hurt, Tanner John Luke!"

"Okay," Tanner said as they went into the garage.

"So what time did he bring you home last night?" Laura asked

"Mom!" Lulu's eyes went wide as she began to giggle. "I'm not a kid anymore, I don't have a curfew."

"I know, I know, I was just curious," Laura replied, laughing also.

"It was about eleven," Lulu confessed, then quickly added. "But he came in and we sat and talked until about one."

"Well, you deserve a night out and I'm happy you took the time out for yourself and that I got to take advantage of more time with three of my grandchildren," Laura said, playing with Lexi's hair as they came back through the kitchen with the soccer ball and headed into the backyard.

"Did you already take Raylene home?" Lulu asked

"Uncle Nikolas and Aunt 'Dine came to get her at Grandma's," Lexi said before she shut the door leading to the patio.

"They were going to Manhattan to buy her a new bedroom set," Laura added.

"Right," Lulu recalled with a smile. "I remember her saying at her birthday that the stuff in her room was for a baby."

"They're all growing up so fast," Laura shook her head at the thought.


	8. Bird Food

_So here's chapter 8. I apologize for the tardiness; it has been a crazy couple of weeks between family, friends and school, so not everything is getting done that needs to be._

_This chapter is being dedicated to one of my favorites. My friend Summer, she's been through a lot the last couple of weeks, so here's to you Summer!_

**Chapter 8**

Nearly two weeks later, Dante was sitting at his desk working on a stack of paperwork when a paper bag landed in front of him.

"What is this?" he asked, looking up to see that Lulu had placed it there, causing him to smile.

"When I couldn't get a hold of you on your cell phone, I called the station, but the secretary told me you were super busy," Lulu explained quickly, then let out a breath. "So I thought I would come by and bring you some lunch."

"Wow," he was nearly speechless at her kind gesture. "Thank you."

Lulu pulled a to-go container from the sack and placed it in front of Dante, "And if you're not too busy, I thought I might stay and have lunch with you," she said.

"Of course…but I have to keep working," Dante told her, gesturing to the empty chair next to his desk.

"That's fine," she took the other to-go container, then sat down in the chair and opened the container, revealing a turkey wrap, but noticed Dante eyeing the wrap, then her. "What?" she asked, afraid there was something wrong.

"Is that what you brought me?" he asked, pointing to her turkey wrap, now afraid to open the to-go container.

"No, but if you want it, you can have it," she offered the wrap to him.

Dante began to laugh, "No, you just had me worried there for a minute," he confessed, but she was still confused. "I'm sitting here starving and I was afraid you had brought me bird food."

Lulu's eyes went wide and her mouth gaped open as she started to laugh, "Bird food?" she exclaimed. "I resent that, Mike makes the best turkey wraps in town."

Dante opened the to-go container to find a cheeseburger and French fries, "See, this is real food," he pointed to his food. "Do you ever eat real food?"

"This is real food," she defended her lunch.

"No, I mean like stuff that sticks to your ribs," he said.

"I do," she replied. "Just not often."

"You'll have to let me cook for you one night then," Dante told her, going through a file.

"Oh, you cook?" she asked, almost in a shocked tone.

"Do you think I let Bridger starve?" Dante countered as they both began to laugh again. "I'm a very good cook, thank you, my son can attest to that."

"What, grilled cheese?" she teased him.

"I resent that," he pretended to be insulted.

"Okay, I'll have to let you cook one night," Lulu conceded.

"Also…I was going to see what you had planned for your kids for Spring Break, since it's next week," he said, after swallowing a bite of his cheeseburger.

"Well, I hadn't really thought about it, I didn't realize it was so soon," Lulu admitted. "Molly is going to Colorado with her sister and cousins, so I had just planned on the kids staying with my mom."

"Well, I'm taking Bridger to Niagara Falls since he's never been, we're going to stay on the Canada side," he told her. "And um…we'd love for you, Lexi and Tanner to join us."

Lulu took a bite from her wrap as she thought about the idea, "That could be fun," she said, trying not to make it obvious that she suddenly had a large knot in her stomach. "I would have to make sure it's okay with Maxie first."

"Of course," he agreed. "I have hotel reservations, but I'm sure I can call back to get an additional room."

"Right," Lulu replied, trying not to show the relief she had when he confirmed they would be in staying in separate rooms as she pulled out her phone to send a text message to Maxie.

"Have you or the kids been to Niagara Falls?" he asked.

"I went when I was younger, but the kids haven't," Lulu replied. "Usually if the kids travel, they go on business trips with me."

"Really?" he asked as Lucky walked past his desk, escorting a man in handcuffs. "So they've never been to like Disney World or to the Alamo?"

Lucky caught the last part of the conversation and stopped, "Lulu at the Alamo?" he laughed. "I think she slept through a whole year of history she took in high school; she probably couldn't even tell you what city it's in."

"It's in San Antonio," the man in handcuffs said out of the blue, obviously drunk, then looked at Lulu. "I could take you there sometime…give you a history lesson."

"You don't talk to my sister like that," Lucky said, twisting the man's arm as Dante jumped out of his chair, wanting to hit the man, but Lucky stopped him and pushed the handcuffed man toward the interrogation room. "Let's go Martinez."

Lulu shivered at the thought as she watched her brother close the door to the interrogation room, she then noticed the look on Dante's face as his forehead wrinkled as he sat back down. "What's wrong?" she asked

"Oh nothing, it's just…that guy looked really familiar," Dante said, pushing the thought from his mind.

"He's a creep," Lulu replied.

"Yeah, no kidding," Dante agreed, deciding to go back to the original topic. "So you've never taken your kids to Disney World either?"

"Guilty," Lulu admitted. "Lexi could probably give you directions to the Eiffel Tower if needed, but she probably doesn't even know there's a France in Epcot."

"You have to admit though, that's pretty impressive," Dante told her.

"Yeah, my mom bought her this book for her third birthday, _Eloise in Paris_, and for the longest time she was convinced that she wanted to be Eloise, because she had the best life," Lulu explained, then started to giggle. "It wasn't until two years ago she realized Eloise never saw her mom."

"You broke the poor kid's heart?" he teased before putting some French fries in his mouth.

"No!" she replied incredulously. "She asked about it and I was honest with her."

"Oh, because that's so much better," Dante said sarcastically.

"Well, I wasn't going to lie to my daughter about something like that when she flat out asks about it," Lulu admitted, as her phone rang, signaling she had a text message, it was Maxie. "What days did you want to go?"

"Well my days off next week are Wednesday and Thursday, but I'm working an extra day this week so I can take off Friday too," Dante replied. "But if that doesn't work for you, I can probably see if someone would be willing to trade."

"No, that's fine," Lulu began, sending a text back to Maxie. "It's just that our junior editors were supposed to have some layouts done by Monday and Maxie is afraid they won't get it done and we'll have to pick up the slack. But the rest of my week should be clear."

"Okay, great," he smiled.

**Tuesday Night**

Lulu stayed at the Crimson office until almost nine that night, so Laura had met her at the house with the kids, then offered to help Lulu pack for their trip. Lulu graciously accepted the offer when she realized how late it was and how much needed to be done before they left at 10 the next morning.

"Mama, where are we going?" Tanner asked as he and Lexi came into Lulu's room where Laura and Lulu were talking while they were packing.

"We're going on a trip to Niagara Falls," Lulu replied as Laura folded some of Tanner's clothes and placed them in his suitcase.

"What is that?" Lexi questioned as she placed her hands on the foot board of the bed, jumping up and down.

"It's a place where they have really big waterfalls," Laura replied.

"Cool!" she exclaimed

Lulu and Dante had decided not to tell the kids they were going until the night before. That way they wouldn't be bugging them all week about leaving and they wouldn't realize they were going with each other until the day they left.

"Can I take my DS with me?" Tanner asked about his portable video game.

"I don't care," Lulu replied, then picked up the small tote bags that matched their suitcases and handed them to Tanner and Lexi. "Here, you can put stuff in these, but I am going to look at what you put in there to make sure there's not stuff in there you don't need to take with you, so don't be putting a bunch of stuff in there you know you shouldn't take with you and if it's too big to fit in the bag, it doesn't need to go with us."

"Okay," they both said, taking the bags and running out of the room.

"There's no telling what they're going to put in those bags," Laura said.

"I know, but if I didn't give them something to do, they would have been in here driving us crazy," Lulu replied.

"Sounds like another little girl I knew about twenty years ago," Laura smiled, getting a smile in return from her daughter, "But back to you and Dante…do you think this could lead to something more serious?"

"I don't know," Lulu sighed. "I really like spending time with him, but if I let myself think about it for too long, I feel guilty and it makes me want to keep my distance."

"Sweetie, I know that we tell you this often, but Johnny would want the best for you, Lexi and Tanner," Laura said, but Lulu stopped her.

"But Mom, how am I supposed to know if this is best for me and my children?" she asked, getting a little emotional, allowing tears to fall down her cheeks. "Yeah, we're happy now, but if something happens, I'm going to be hurt, yes, but I'll get over it. I'm not sure the kids will be able to."

"Your children are a lot more resilient than you give them credit for, Lulu," Laura said as she lovingly placed her hands on her daughter's cheeks, brushing away the few tears that were now falling. "I wish I could tell you what to do, but the best advice I can give you is to follow your heart, take it day by day and don't be afraid."

Lulu bit on her bottom lip, trying to keep the tears from falling, "I know, I really like spending time with Dante," she confessed. "That night we went out was nice because we just talked and talked and I was comfortable…I was happy. So I don't know if I'm more worried about being with him or losing him."

"Sweetheart, I want you to be happy," Laura placed her hands on Lulu's shoulders. "And as much progress as you have made since you lost Johnny, I know that your heart is still very much guarded. And I worry that you will continue to keep it that way. You have to take risks in order to get your reward, whether it is Dante or someone or something else."

"Thank you Mom," Lulu pulled her mother into a hug.

"You don't have to thank me," Laura hugged her daughter back. "I love you Lulu."

"I love you too," Lulu smiled.

The next morning, Tanner and Lexi were sitting on the couch watching TV, they had been up since a little after 6. Lulu wished she could have slept later, but was glad they woke her up because she had more time to finish packing their things.

Lulu zipped up her suitcase as her cell phone rang, it was Dante, "Hey," she said casually.

"Hey," he replied. "We were just about to walk out the door, but Mia was hungry, so she's almost finished with her bottle now and we'll be there in about 10 or 15 minutes."

"Okay," she said, going into the master bathroom to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

"I'm sorry about this," he told her.

"Why are you sorry?" she asked, noting she didn't forget anything. "We're in no hurry, you don't have to apologize."

"Alright, but I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't be wondering where we were," he replied

"I appreciate it," she said started out of her room with her suitcase. "We'll be ready to go when you get here."

"See you then," he said before they hung up.

"Mama, when are we leaving?" Tanner asked as Lulu came down the stairs carrying her suitcase.

"Here pretty soon," she replied, placing the suitcase at the bottom of the stairs next to Lexi and Tanner's. "But first, I need you both to go upstairs and make sure we got all the stuff you usually take with you on trips out of your rooms and your bathroom."

"Do you have our passports, Mom?" Lexi questioned.

Lulu laughed at how grown-up Lexi sounded, most seven-year-olds didn't even know what a passport was, much less be reminding their parents of them. However, two years ago, Lulu had put Lexi in charge of reminding her to get them after they missed a flight to London because she had forgotten them at home.

"Yes, I do, they're in my purse," Lulu answered with a smile. "Thank you for reminding me."

Lulu went into the kitchen to make sure all of the snacks her mother had bought for the kids were in their bags and Bridger's were in a sack to where she could give them to him once they got there.

Once she was finished there, they started taking stuff through the garage to the SUV that was parked in the driveway.

They had decided it would be easier to take her SUV than his truck so that the kids would be able to sit together or have space if needed.

"I get to sit behind Mom," Tanner said, getting in the seat behind the driver's seat and buckling the seatbelt.

"Nuh-uh, it's my turn," Lexi reminded him standing up in the SUV next to where her brother was sitting.

Lulu rolled her eyes at her children, knowing that in a few short moments, neither would care who was sitting behind her, because they would be so excited about going with Bridger.

She was just about to go back into the house to get Bridger's sack of snack food when Dante's truck pulled into the driveway next to Lulu's SUV, "Someone's here," she told them.

Tanner and Lexi turned around to look as Dante put the truck in park, leaving the engine running since Mia was asleep in her car seat, "Bridger!" they both shouted, and Tanner flung the seat belt off as they both bolted out of the SUV.

Bridger jumped out of the truck to greet his friends, "Hi," he said. "I'm about to leave to go on a trip, but Dad said we'll be back soon."

"We're about to leave too," Lexi told him.

Dante passed the children standing between the two vehicles and went to the tailgate of his truck and let the cover rise up before pulling his suitcase out, then went to the back of Lulu's SUV where she was moving some thing around to make sure they had room for all of it.

"Should we tell them?" Lulu asked, glancing at him.

"Nah, we'll just wait until they catch on," he said, placing the suitcase into the back of the SUV as Lulu let out a snort.

"Okay," she agreed as he let his hand lightly graze her hip and the small of her back as he walked by her. "I'm going to run in and get the few small things we have a left and make sure all the lights are turned off."

"Where should I put Mia?" he wondered as she started to walk off, but she stopped and looked, considering where would be the easiest place to put her.

"Put her behind the driver's seat," she said. "That way if she needs anything, I can get it easier from the passenger's seat."

"You're still not going to help me drive?" he asked

"I don't want to," Lulu answered honestly. "But if you need me to, I will."

"No it's okay," he said. "So you said put her behind me?"

"Yes," Lulu replied with a nod.

"Sounds like a plan," he said, pulling Mia's stroller from the back of the truck.

"You guys better come inside and use the bathroom before we leave," Lulu said to the kids, who were now playing tag in the yard. "All three of you, and Lexi will you go upstairs and make sure all the lights are off and everything?"

"Okay," she said as they walked into the house, Lexi went upstairs and the boys went to the downstairs half bath as Lulu went into the kitchen.

She double-checked to make sure she had turned off the coffee pot and picked up her purse from the counter and the few sacks, Bridger's and one she had placed some snack food she and Dante would enjoy.

By the time they got back outside, Dante had the SUV loaded and warmed up and was snapping Mia's car seat into the base, "Is Mia going with them, Dad?" Bridger questioned, running up to him out of the garage.

"Then can I go with Bridger?" Tanner asked his mother hopefully, clasping his hands together, pretending to beg.

"And miss out on having fun on vacation with me, Lexi and Mia?" Lulu countered, pretending to be hurt.

"Please Mama," Tanner asked.

Lulu glanced at Dante as they both held in their laughter, but she couldn't hold it in anymore, "We're all going to the same place," she admitted to them.

"Then can Tanner ride with us, Dad?" Bridger was the one begging this time.

"Well Bridge, I think we're all riding together," Dante said, closing the door to the SUV. "So you better go around to the other side and get in so we can hit the road."

Once they were situated with Bridger and Tanner in the back and Lexi and Mia in the middle, Lulu pressed the button on the sun visor that would close the garage door, "Do we have everything?" she asked. "Does everyone have their seat belts on?"

"Yes!" three voices chimed in harmoniously.

"Then let's hit the road," she looked over and smiled at Dante who placed his hand on her knee before backing out of the driveway.

_So let me know what you think, because there have been things that you've been vocal about and I have slightly changed the course of things from your ideas. So toss them out there! I am here to make my readers happy._


	9. Vacation

_Well, here it is…the vacation. I know the scenes are a little short, but the chapter is long and I hope you enjoy it!_

**Chapter 9 - Vacation**

"Mama, Tanner won't quit kicking the back of the seat," Lexi cried, an hour into the trip.

"Tanner, you know better than that," Lulu warned, barely turning around to look at the kids, since they had been so quiet while watching _Lady and the Tramp_ from the back seat with headphones on.

"Quit Tanner!" Lexi yelled.

"You quit," Tanner replied.

Lulu groaned and leaned her head against the seat, taking a moment so she would know exactly how to reason with them. She loved her children more than life itself and knew better than anyone that life was too short to sweat the small stuff, but Lexi and Tanner were getting to that age where they would be arguing more often, like they had been and she wanted to scream.

Dante glanced at her, then in the rearview mirror, "You both better quit or I'll put you out on the side of the road," he told them calmly.

Lulu heard the kicking stop; neither Tanner, nor Lexi said a word, "Thank you," she whispered with a giggle, knowing her children wouldn't test Dante.

"Dad, when are we going to stop for lunch?" Bridger questioned.

"We're going to the hotel first," Dante replied. "Then we'll go eat."

"Where are we going to eat?" he asked.

"I don't know, we haven't picked out where we're going to eat," Dante replied.

"But I'm hungry," Bridger whined.

"I put some stuff in your bag for you to snack on, buddy," Lulu turned and told him.

"Oh yeah," he remembered, leaning forward to pick up his bag out of the floor in front of his seat.

"What do you say to Lulu for being nice enough to bring you your own snacks?" Dante said to his son.

"Thank you Lulu," he said, opening a bag of pretzels.

"You're welcome sweetie," she smiled, and then picked up one of the visitor's guides the hotel had sent to Dante and began looking through it. "Oh there's a Rainforest Café next to the hotel."

"Yeah, did you see what is connected to the hotel?" he asked, pointing to the next page.

"Well, I know what the kids are going to want to do," she laughed when she saw the 3-acre indoor water park connected to their hotel. "Maybe after lunch we could take the kids down there, let them get all of their energy out so they'll sleep well tonight."

"Good idea," Dante agreed. "I figured we could take them down to the falls tomorrow and since it's too cold to go on one of those boats, we could go to this place called Snow Park, they have tubing and snowboarding and stuff."

"But what about Mia?" Lulu wondered in her worried motherly tone.

"I have arranged for my cousin to come from Buffalo to baby-sit Mia at the hotel tomorrow," Dante informed her. "That way we can all go together instead of one of us sitting on the sidelines with Mia."

"Really?" Lulu asked happily, taken aback by his thoughtfulness.

"Yeah, I knew that you hadn't been here since you were little and you'd want to experience with your kids and I'd like to experience it with Bridger and I know they'll all want to go together," Dante explained. "So I figured this would be the best solution."

"Wow, you really thought this out," she replied.

Once they arrived at the hotel, they went upstairs to the adjoining rooms, where Bridger, Lexi and Tanner proceeded to run back and forth in between the two as Lulu unpacked and Dante fed Mia.

"Hey, I need you guys to quiet down," Dante said as the three kids started jumping on the king-size bed. "Mia is more interested in watching you than she is eating."

Lulu placed a pair of Lexi's jeans into the drawer and stuck her head into Dante's room, "Why don't you three come in here?" she suggested to the kids. "You can watch TV."

"Can we jump on the bed?" Tanner asked, Lulu glanced at the bed in Dante's room and began to laugh.

"You can jump on _your_ bed," she said, still laughing.

The three of them took off into the other room; Lulu crossed the room to sit on the small loveseat with Dante.

"Thank you," Dante said quietly as Mia went back to taking the bottle as she watched Lulu carefully.

"You're welcome," Lulu replied, propping her bare feet on the edge of the coffee table in front of them. "But if I were you, I probably would've whipped all three of them or at least put them in separate corners."

"I don't really feel right punishing other people's kids and it wouldn't be fair to spank Bridger when Tanner and Lexi don't get in trouble too," Dante admitted.

"Oh, you have my permission to spank my kids if they need it," Lulu said. "They can be a handful."

"As long as you will do the same with Bridger," Dante replied. "It's possible that he is just as much of a handful as Tanner and Lexi together."

"I doubt that," Lulu laughed.

Dante looked at Mia who was finishing up her bottle, "Well, it looks like once you got the distractions out of the way, you went to town on that bottle," he said to the baby.

Lulu leaned over to look at Mia, "Tell Daddy that there is just too much going on and you want to be where the action is," she cooed to the baby.

"Would you mind burping here while I change shirts real quick?" Dante asked, pointing to where Mia had spit up on his shirt. "Then I'll be ready to go."

"Okay," Lulu smiled as she took Mia from Dante, then took the burp cloth from his shoulder and placed it on hers before she went to burp Mia. "I'm going to make sure the kids get their shoes on and stuff."

She walked into the other room to find the three kids watching cartoons while jumping on the bed, "Are you guys hungry?" she asked them.

"Yeah!" they all exclaimed as they jumped off the bed.

"I need you to get shoes on and get your coats so we can go," Lulu told them as Mia let out a quiet burp.

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting down to a table at Rainforest Café.

"This place is so cool!" Bridger exclaimed, taking in his surroundings.

"It's pretty neat, huh?" Lulu said, smiling at the excitement of Bridger, Lexi and Tanner as she began looking at her menu.

"Yeah," he agreed in amazement.

"Look at that monkey!" Lexi squealed to a fake monkey hanging above their table.

The three children began to giggle when the monkey started making noise. Lulu and Dante glanced at each other and smiled at the pure joy on the kids' faces.

"Mama, I want pizza," Tanner said as he saw a waitress carrying a plate with a kids' pizza on it a few moments later.

"Okay," Lulu agreed, then turned to Lexi. "Lexi what do you want?"

"Chicken," Lexi replied before she went back to coloring on her menu.

"Well that was easy," Dante said, turning to Bridger. "What about you, Bridger?"

"I want a cheeseburger," Bridger said as he and Tanner continued to watch what was going on around them.

"Okay then," Dante nodded before he looked at his own menu. "What are you getting?"

"I was thinking about the China Island Chicken Salad, it sounds good," Lulu replied.

"There you go with the bird food again," he said with a laugh.

"Oh hush, I happen to like what you call bird food," she retorted.

"When we get back to Port Charles, you're coming over and letting me cook for you," Dante said.

"Oh really?" Lulu challenged. "What would you cook if I came over?"

"Probably some steaks," he nodded after thinking about it for a moment.

"Wow…my mouth is watering already," she teased in a sarcastic tone before looking back to her menu.

After lunch, they went back to the hotel to rest before going to spend nearly four hours at the indoor water park.

Once they decided it was time to leave the water park, Dante went to get the kids from the kids' area while Lulu placed Mia in the stroller and began getting their stuff together to leave. He had been gone nearly 10 minutes and Lulu had begun to wonder if the kids had talked him into playing with them.

"Lulu, has Bridger been back by here?" Dante asked, walking up with Tanner and Lexi.

"No, why?" Lulu asked, then looked to her own children. "You don't know where he is?"

They both shook their heads, "We were playing hide and go seek and I found Lexi, but we never found Bridger," Tanner explained as Lulu handed them both towels.

Lulu picked Mia up out of her stroller as her heart started to beat a little faster at the thought of any of the kids missing, "What are you doing?" Dante wondered.

"I'm going to go help you look for Bridger," Lulu looked at him as if he were crazy for even asking that question.

"What about Tanner and Lexi?" He asked.

"They'll be okay here," Lulu assured him.

"At least let me take Mia so you don't have to carry her," Dante said.

"Okay," she agreed, handing the baby over to him then looked to Lexi and Tanner. "You two stay here, don't get up for any reason and if Bridger comes back, don't try to come find us, we'll be right back."

"Okay," they both said.

Lulu and Dante split up and began looking for Bridger. Lulu headed toward the large fort as Dante went to the wave pool.

Just as Lulu started up the stairs into the fort, she heard someone call out her name. She turned around to find a woman, who was holding a crying Bridger by the hand.

"Lulu," he murmured quietly through his tears.

"Bridger," Lulu knelt down and embraced Bridger, trying to calm his fears as a wave of relief rushed over her. She looked up to the lady, "Thank you so much."

"It's no problem, I saw him crying and helped him find you," the lady smiled. "I know I would be frantic if I couldn't find one of my kids."

Lulu released her hold on Bridger as the lady walked away, "Am I in trouble?" he asked, still sobbing.

"No sweetie, you're not in trouble," Lulu assured him, swiping the tears from his cheeks. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"We were playing hide and go seek and I hid, but then I got lost," Bridger said through his gasps.

"It's okay buddy," Lulu said, hugging him again briefly before looking him in the eyes. "You were pretty scared, huh?"

"Uh-huh," he murmured with a nod.

"You ready to go back to the hotel room?" she asked, this time all she received was another nod.

"Where's my daddy?" he asked when Lulu stood up.

"He's looking for you," she smiled. "Let's go over here where Tanner and Lexi are so we can wait for him."

"Okay," he said as they started back to the chairs where Lexi and Tanner were sitting and Lulu wrapped a towel around Bridger.

"Hey Bridge, where've you been?" Dante asked when he came back to where they were seated a few minutes later and handed Mia to Lulu.

"I got lost," he said quietly as tears began to pool in his eyes again.

"Hey," Dante said, kneeling down to look his son in the eye. "You're not in trouble, we were just really worried."

"See, I told you he wouldn't be mad," Lulu smiled at him, Bridger looked up and returned the smile. "Let's go back to the rooms."

After Bridger, Tanner and Lexi took baths, they got in bed while Lulu took a shower. She had left the door to Dante's room open in case Tanner or Lexi needed something.

When she came out of the bathroom dressed in pajama shorts and a tank top, she noticed Tanner and Lexi were both asleep. She looked into Dante's room to find him sitting on bed next to Mia, who was between him and Bridger. Both kids asleep and Dante was staring off into space.

"Hey," Dante said when he noticed her, getting up and walking to the doorway where Lulu was standing.

"Hey," she smiled up at him, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together. "I had a nice time today. I'm glad you invited us to go with you."

"I'm glad I invited you to go with us too," he returned the smile.

"Well, I guess I better get in bed, I'm sure my kids will be up and ready to go by seven," Lulu told him.

"Yeah, Bridger probably will too," Dante replied. "Well…goodnight."

"Goodnight," Lulu stood on her tiptoes as he leaned in to give her a short, but sweet kiss on the lips.

"See you in the morning," he said as Lulu released his hand.

"Okay," she smiled again before they closed the doors.

The next morning, like clockwork, Tanner, Lexi and Bridger were all awake before seven. Dante went to Starbucks in the hotel lobby to get some coffee, milk and muffins.

Lulu had taken a seat at the table near the window in her room as Lexi, Tanner and Bridger watched cartoons and Mia slept in Dante's room. She couldn't help but let her mind wander to the kiss they shared last night. It had been casual, but sweet. She knew Dante didn't want to push her and that made her fall for him that much more. Wait…did she just admit—even if only to herself—that she was actually falling for this man? More importantly, was she actually **letting** herself fall for this man?

She glanced over to her children and Bridger who all sat on the bed with their eyes on the TV, giggling every so often at something that was going on. Coming on this vacation was a good thing, but maybe they were moving too fast. Of course, they were staying in different rooms and it wouldn't have been much different if she came with one of the other moms of Lexi and Tanner's friends. However, this **was** different, she had been pushing these feelings out of her mind and she knew she had to face them sooner or later. She had just hoped it would have been later. The thought of them getting close terrified her; this was uncharted territory.

She was just complicating things for herself. That was what happened when she started thinking. Surely Dante didn't have these thoughts, guys don't over analyze things.

Dante left Starbucks with a cup holder of drinks and a sack of muffins, so much different than if it were just he, Bridger and Mia, where he would get two drinks and two muffins. He loved spending time with Lulu and her kids, and surprisingly, he liked the domestication of it all. It was so much different from his last relationship, which was filled with drama, especially toward the end. He had finally torn himself away from the fact that he would never get the Camilla he once knew and loved back. And then he met Lulu, a breath of fresh air in his crazy world. He had been with Camilla for so long and had known her for even longer, so what he was feeling for Lulu scared him to death. Not only did he have to worry about his own feelings, he had to worry about those of his children, putting their well-being above his own.

In the big picture, could they make this work? He knew that Lulu losing Johnny devastated her, it was something she would never get over completely and he didn't want her to. Johnny would always be a part of the puzzle that made Lulu who she was, just like Camilla had contributed to who he was today. He had been hurt, but it paled in comparison to Lulu's pain and he made sure to take things slow, so far she hadn't objected to the subtle things, and even initiated some of it, like the hand holding or quick kisses when the kids weren't around.

But then there were the kids…four other beings they had to worry about, especially so with Bridger, Tanner and Lexi's friendship. If Lulu and Dante were to decide to no longer see each other, even though they weren't "official," what would happen to the kids' friendship? Could they keep the awkwardness out enough for the kids to still see each other on a regular basis? And then Mia…he knew that Lulu had spent quite a bit of time with his daughter in their time together, but would she notice Lulu's absence?

Why was he making things so complicated? He wondered if the same thoughts went through Lulu's head. Was it even normal to have those thoughts?

When he walked into his room, he closed the door quietly so not to wake Mia. He peeked into Lulu's room to see the kids still in the same spots on the bed watching TV and Lulu was gazing out the window. He took a moment to take in how beautiful she looked in just jeans and a fitted t-shirt. It was different from her normal attire, but she looked just as amazing as she did the first time he met her or the night he took her out on their first date.

"Dante!" Lexi squealed upon noticing him, she jumped up to get her breakfast, bringing Lulu out of her daze.

"Do you need some help?" Lulu also got up as Dante started toward the table with the breakfast.

"I got it," he said, placing it on the small table, then handing Lexi a bottle of chocolate milk.

"I wanted a caramel macchiato," Lexi told him, Dante was taken aback by her request.

"I told Dante to get you chocolate milk," Lulu said to her daughter. "You do not need a caramel macchiato."

"But Mommy," Lexi began with a whine

"Lexi Lu Maria Zacchara," Lulu spoke softly, but sternly, stopping a rare tantrum before it even began. "You have chocolate milk, your brother and Bridger have chocolate milk and I told Dante to bring you a blueberry muffin, now tell him thank you."

"Thank you," she muttered, taking the blueberry muffin that Dante held out to her.

Lulu felt a little bad for her daughter, because she knew Lexi loved a caramel macchiato as much as she did, but she was also painfully aware that they made her a little too hyper, "After you eat, I'll let you have a drink of mine," she said, causing Lexi's eyes to light up.

"Here boys," Dante said, handing each of them a bottle of chocolate milk and a muffin, neither of them took their eyes from the TV.

"You boys better eat so we can get going," Lulu said before breaking off a piece of her cranberry-orange scone and putting it in her mouth.

"Yeah, otherwise we're going to leave you here with Mia and Tessa," Dante said.

"Who's Tessa?" Tanner asked before taking a large bite out of his muffin.

"She's Dante's cousin who will be taking care of Mia today while we go down to the falls," Lulu replied

"Why can't Mia go with us?" Tanner wondered.

"Because she's a baby," Dante replied. "And we don't want to have her out in the cold."

After spending the morning at the falls, they had pizza for lunch before surprising the kids by going to Snow Park where they had a nice day full of snowboarding, skiing, tubing and having a snowball fight before they left as it was nearing dinnertime.

On their way back, Dante had called Tessa to meet them in the hotel restaurant for dinner.

"So…Lulu, what is it that you do?" Tessa asked as they were finishing up dinner.

"I am co-editor-in-chief of Crimson Magazine," Lulu replied. "We also have a clothing line in the works, so hopefully that will take off."

"Oh wow, so you're like famous," Tessa commented.

"Well, in the fashion community, I guess you could say that," Lulu admitted modestly. "But otherwise, I'm just Lulu Spencer-Zacchara."

"Tessa's in school at the University of Buffalo," Dante said. "She's majoring in theater."

"Oh wow, that's impressive," Lulu replied. "What are you planning on doing after college?"

"I want to teach in a high school with a theater program," Tessa said.

"That's great," Lulu told her. "How long will it be until you graduate?"

"Next spring," Tessa replied. "But then I'm going to grad school."

"Very cool, I like a girl with goals," Lulu smiled. "We have girls that come into the office wanting a job because they love fashion and want the perks, but they have no goals. That's kind of how I was when I first started working at Crimson."

"So how did you end up with the job?" Tessa asked

"I had connections, I didn't really want the job until I found out my number one enemy was other assistant and I could drive her crazy," Lulu replied

"It obviously worked out well for you, what about your enemy?" Tessa wondered before taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Well, she's my co-editor-in-chief and my best friend," Lulu laughed.

"Wow, that's quite the turn around," Tessa said, then turned to her cousin. "Has Aunt Olivia had a chance to meet her yet?"

"Uh, no," Dante replied, caught off guard by the question. "I only met Lulu a couple of months ago and I can't convince Ma to visit Port Charles."

"Right," Tessa said. "It's probably because of cousin Connie…wait, she owned Crimson Magazine."

"Yes," Lulu confirmed. "Maxie and I took over when she passed away."

"Was she a pain in the ass to work for?" Tessa questioned.

"Honestly…yes," Lulu admitted.

"Mama, I'm tired," Lexi said, leaning against Lulu.

"We'll be going back to the room pretty soon honey," Lulu replied, pulling her daughter into her lap.

"Yeah, we should probably let Tessa get on the road too," Dante added, signing his name to the ticket and putting his credit card back into his wallet and they started to get up. "Come on boys, get your coats."

Lulu put Lexi down so she could get her coat, as well, then turned to Tessa, "Thank you for coming up here and keeping Mia today, we would have been happy to take her with us, but this way we didn't have to revolve our schedule around her," Lulu said graciously.

"It was no problem," Tessa replied. "I'm glad I got to see Dante and Bridger and spend some time with Mia."

"It was so nice meeting you," Lulu said.

"It was nice to meet you too and your children," she returned. "And who knows, maybe we'll get to see more of each other in the future."

"Mama, come look at this," Tanner said from where he, Bridger and Lexi stood near the fountain in the lobby.

"Okay," Lulu replied, then turned to Tessa again. "Have a safe drive back to Buffalo."

"Thanks," Tessa said before Lulu turned to go see what the kids were doing.

"Thanks again Tess," Dante said, hugging his cousin.

"No problem, like I told Lulu, I enjoyed getting a chance to spend time with Mia," Tessa assured him. "She's someone you need to hold onto, Dante."

"Mia?" he asked in a clueless tone.

"No, Lulu," she replied. "She seems like a great woman."

"She is," Dante said with a smile, before meeting Lulu's gaze as she smiled at him from across the lobby.

The next evening, they got to Lulu's and Dante moved his stuff into his truck and helped Lulu get her things into the house as the kids took off into the backyard. They had put Mia's car seat in the house as they unloaded the SUV.

"Is that the last of it?" Lulu asked, walking into the garage as Dante shut the back of the SUV.

"I think so," he replied with a nod.

"If you forgot something, it's not like we won't be seeing each other again," Lulu added as they stepped into the laundry room, Dante closed the door behind them. "Are the kids still in the backyard?"

Lulu started out of the laundry room, into the kitchen, but Dante grasped her wrist lightly and pulled her to him. Before she could protest, his lips crashed into hers…not that she would want to protest.

Dante could tell she was caught off-guard by her unsteadiness, so he placed his left arm around her waist as she felt him lightly nip his bottom lip with her teeth. He pulled her closer as they deepened the kiss and she ran her free hand up his arm and ran her fingers through his hair.

When Dante finally pulled back, that's when he heard Lulu's protests, but both were gasping for air.

"Thanks for the last few days," she said a few moments later after catching her breath. "I had fun…and I know the kids did too."

"Well, thank you for going," Dante replied with a smile. "It wouldn't have been as fun without you guys."

Lulu returned the smile, then leaned in to share a brief kiss with him, "We better get the kids in, it's starting to get dark," she said, walking into the kitchen and over to the French doors.

After leaving Lulu's, Dante got Bridger and Mia home, then began unloading the truck.

After he was finished, he sat down on the couch and looked at his daughter asleep in her car seat on the floor. He reached down and picked her up, placing her on his chest. She still smelled like Lulu.

The last month had been a whirlwind and he couldn't believe he actually had the courage to ask Lulu to go to Niagara Falls with him, but he was glad he did. He liked spending time with Lulu and her kids. Despite their complicated emotional lives, being around her was so easy. He forgot that you shouldn't have to put out so much effort to make things work like he had with Camilla. If any effort was put out, it should be an equal effort.

Dante found that he wasn't worrying about what was going to happen tomorrow or next week or next year, he liked living in the moment, as long as it included Lulu and their kids. He thought back to that first night they went out on a date, it just seemed so natural for them to share things with each other. He hoped that he had more chances like that, because he knew he was falling for this woman who had only been in his life for a short time. He loved everything about her.

Dante was brought out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. He got up, still cradling Mia in his arms. When he opened the door, he was shocked to see who was on the other side.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked

_As always, let me know your thoughts :)_


	10. Reassurances and Reunions

_I know it's been awhile, but things have been nuts since I last updated…again. But here it is! Chapter 10! I hope you enjoy._

**Chapter 10 – Reassurances & Reunions**

Lulu walked into the office at 9 AM the next morning as Maxie was giving their assistants their orders for the morning.

"Oh good, you're here!" Maxie said happily, then looked back to the assistants. "Now get back to work!"

Lulu found herself being pulled by the arm into Maxie's office, "You really shouldn't be mean to them, you remember how it was when Kate was like that to us," she said, taking a seat in Maxie's office chair.

"But that's how we became who we are today," Maxie reminded her friend, looking over a file one of the assistants had given her. "If they're as determined as we…or as I was, they'll deal with it and it will work out for them in the long run. Besides, they were all late this morning."

"Oh…well we better fire all three of them right now, "Lulu said sarcastically, as she started to get up, but Maxie pressed on her shoulder, forcing her back into the chair.

"I didn't come in here to talk about assistants, I came in here to talk about you and Dante," she said, leaning against her desk. "So, how did your trip go?"

"It was nice," Lulu answered simply. "The kids had a really good time."

"You know that's now what I mean," Maxie said. "How did things go with Dante?"

"They went well," Lulu nodded

"That's it?" Maxie questioned. "That's all you're going to tell me?"

"Maxie," Lulu groaned. "Nothing happened. It's not like we went as a family or were sharing a bed or even a room together."

"So…that doesn't mean you couldn't be affectionate," Maxie crossed her arms at her friend.

"The kids don't even know we went on one date, nor do we want them to know at the moment," Lulu said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm just afraid we're moving too fast."

"No…Lulu no, don't say that," Maxie stood up straight. "You've gone on one date and you barely get to spend any time together."

"That's the thing though, that's all that has happened and we're already going on trips and taking the kids places together," Lulu said

"Lulu, I haven't seen you this happy or comfortable around a guy since Johnny," Maxie told her.

"I do feel comfortable with Dante," Lulu admitted. "I just don't want to lead him on and let him think it's going to lead to something more."

"What put that crazy idea in your head?" Maxie asked incredulously, for someone so smart, she sure didn't know where her best friend came up with these things. "Why do you think it won't last?"

"Because it never does," Lulu sighed. "Something always happens to mess it up."

"No it doesn't," Maxie said. "You need to quit thinking like that, being pessimistic doesn't suit you."

"Maxie if you went through what I did, you would be pretty pessimistic too," Lulu raised her voice, but didn't yell.

"Lulu, you told me that Dante _asked_ you to tell him about Johnny, that right there shows how much he cares about you," Maxie said. "I think you're afraid that being in a relationship like that is going to erase what you had with Johnny or what you had with him and I don't think Dante is asking for that."

"I just…" Lulu began, then sighed and looked at her friend. "I just need some time to think about it."

"Okay," Maxie conceded, letting Lulu get up this time. "But not too long because that's when you start making dumb decisions."

Lulu rolled her eyes and walked out of the office, but knew Maxie was right.

When Ronnie Dimestico showed up on Dante's doorstep the night before, Dante was pleasantly surprised. And when he said he had been laid off from the NYPD due to budget cuts and needed a place to stay until he could find a job and get back on his feet, Dante happily offered his couch to his friend.

They had been friends for a long time and Dante was glad to have a old friend here in Port Charles.

"Uncle Ronnie, did Daddy tell you we went to Niagara Falls this week?" Bridger asked excitedly as they sat at the kitchen table eating Lucky Charms.

"No he didn't," Ronnie replied, taking a bite of cereal. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, my friend Tanner and his sister and mom went with us," Bridger nodded with a full mouth of food.

"Oh really?" Ronnie asked, looking suspiciously at Dante, who had just started pouring the milk into his bowl of cereal.

"Uh-huh," Bridger replied, shoveling the last bit of cereal into his mouth. "Can I go watch cartoons now?"

"Yeah," Dante said, knowing he was about to get the third degree from his best friend.

As soon as Bridger took off out of the room, Ronnie looked back at Dante, "You failed to mention that little detail last night, Dante," he said with a grin on his face. "Remember, when you were updating me on everything that's been going on since you left the city?"

"It's no big deal, really," he said, trying to convince himself more than Ronnie. "Bridger and Tanner are friends, I thought it would be nice to take both of them and so I invited his mom and sister to go also."

"Right, right," Ronnie played along. "And this mom…there's no attraction whatsoever, physical or otherwise?"

"No, she's hot," Dante admitted with a smile. "And I really like spending time with her…but her husband died in a car wreck a few years ago, so between that and what happened with Camilla, then with the kids involved, things get complicated."

"What's her name?" Ronnie asked curiously before taking a bite of his cereal.

"Lulu," Dante answered. "She's an amazing person; I just can't help that worry or think about the hypothetical."

"I can't say I blame you," Ronnie replied. "Camilla really did a number on you, no one knows that better than I do…but I also know that not everyone is like her and you deserve better."

"Wow. Who knew you could be so damn deep?" Dante laughed as he took a drink of his coffee.

"Have you been on a date with her yet?" Ronnie questioned

"Yeah, we've been on one date and then she's had lunch at the station with me last week," Dante replied. "Just testing out the waters…the kids don't know that though, I'm just afraid that she will think I'm pushing her, I don't really know how to go about this dating thing, Camilla and I knew each other for years before we even got together."

"How old are her kids?" Ronnie asked

"Seven," Dante answered. "They're twins…Lexi and Tanner."

"So how did this trip to Niagara Falls go?" He continued to press his friend.

"It went really well, we had fun," Dante nodded

"Have you mentioned your thoughts to Lulu?" Ronnie asked

"No, she'll probably think I'm an oversensitive creep…not many men act this way," Dante confessed. "How many guys do you know that worry about this as much as I do?"

"Not many," Ronnie shook his head. "But like I told you, between what happened with Camilla and now you being a single father, how could you possibly be the same person you were before?"

"So what do you think I should do?" Dante asked his friend.

"I think you should tell her," Ronnie replied. "Maybe she feels the same way."

After a few missed calls each way, Dante looked forward to Thursday of the following week because it was the day of the week the kids had soccer practice. But he was disappointed when he got called in to work and Ronnie offered to take him. However, Bridger later revealed that Lulu wasn't at the practice either.

He began to fear that Lulu thought they were moving too fast and so she began to back off. Then again, she could just have to work a lot more, like he had been. But what if…there was that phrase again, the two words that haunted him the most. _What if? _What if Lulu thought he was avoiding her?

Lulu looked at her phone, letting the call go to voicemail again. She had lied and told Maxie things were progressing with Dante, but the truth was, they had only shared one brief conversation over the phone in nearly two weeks. She had been busy…or made sure she would be busy, so she would have an excuse to not talk to him. She wanted to talk to him, more than anything, but she knew she had already given him the wrong impression by being so comfortable on their trip. How could she have allowed herself to be so comfortable around him?

So now, she had to show him she had restraint…that they didn't have to communicate or be around each other all the time. But the truth was, she hadn't stopped thinking about him.

The following Thursday arrived, Dante was anxious to get to the soccer practice in hopes of seeing Lulu. However, once again, he was disappointed to see Lexi and Tanner accompanied by a woman with flowing blonde hair similar to Lulu's.

"Tanner!" Bridger exclaimed upon seeing his friend.

Tanner and Lexi both came running toward them, "Hi Bridger," Tanner said.

"Hi Bridger," Lexi added, then turned to Dante. "Where's Mia?"

"She's at daycare," Dante replied.

"Aww man," Lexi pretended to pout as Laura walked up. "This is my grandma."

Laura sat down as Dante extended his hand to her, "Dante Falconeri ma'am, and this is my son Bridger," he said, putting his hand on Bridger's shoulder. "Bridger this is Lexi and Tanner's grandma, she's Lulu's mom."

"Nice to meet you," Bridger replied shyly with a hint of a smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Bridger," Laura smiled at the little boy. "You're a handsome young man."

"Thank you," he told her.

"Dante, can Bridger play with us until Coach Fisher gets here?" Tanner asked.

"Yeah," Dante answered, then turned back to Laura as they sat down. "Ms. Spencer, it's so nice to meet you."

"Well it's nice to meet you too," Laura smiled. "But I don't like being called ma'am or Ms. Spencer…you can call me Laura."

"Okay," Dante agreed. "If you don't mind me saying, I can see where Lulu gets her beauty from."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Laura replied modestly.

"Where is Lulu?" Dante asked curiously as the kids played with some of their teammates in the bleachers.

"She's working, there was a mix-up with some of the layouts and they have to work overtime to get it all out to the printers on time," Laura explained, knowing that was half true, but she also knew her daughter had been avoiding Dante.

"Ah, I hadn't heard from her, I was afraid I had done something to make her mad at me or something," Dante replied

"Grandma, look there's Josslyn," Lexi said excitedly, Laura saw Josslyn and Carly walking toward them, Lexi ushering them toward her. "You can sit with us."

"Hi Carly," Laura said politely.

"Hi," Carly replied. "Mind if I sit here?"

"No, go ahead," Laura answered. "Carly, this is Dante, Bridger's dad and Dante, this is Carly, she's Lulu's cousin."

"Nice to meet you," Carly said, sitting down next to Laura

"You too," Dante replied

"There's Coach Fisher!" Josslyn exclaimed as she, Lexi, Tanner and Bridger took off onto the field.

"That Josslyn is growing up too fast," Laura told Carly.

"Tell me about it, I really miss her being a baby," Carly said.

"Well, she'll always be your baby, no matter how big she gets," Laura replied. "All of my kids are still my babies."

"Speaking of babies," Carly began, focusing on Dante. "Don't you have a baby, Dante?"

"Yeah…Mia, she's almost four-months-old," Dante replied.

"Did I hear you say she's at daycare?" Laura asked

"Yes, I have to go back by work for a little bit before I go home," Dante explained. "Bridger loves going to work with me, but when you have to get something done, it's tough to take a baby anywhere, much less a police department, so we're going to go pick her up after that."

"That's understandable," Laura replied. "Being a single parent is tough."

"Lulu said Bridger was going to be playing t-ball as well," Carly said. "Did she tell you sign-ups are next week?

"Uh no, actually…" he paused, not sure of what Lulu had said to Carly. "Lulu and I haven't had much time to talk lately."

Later that night, after putting Bridger and Mia to bed, Dante went in his room and picked up his cell phone from the dresser in plans to call Lulu and leave yet another desperate voicemail, but he noticed he had a voicemail. Looking at his call log, he knew the message was from Lulu.

"Hey, it's me," her voice came through. "Mom and Carly told me they saw you today. I'd really like to see you whenever you have time; I have some stuff I need to talk to you about. So, um…give me a call whenever you get a chance."

Dante was almost afraid of what she had to say to him, afraid this could mean the end of their…relationship. If that's what you would call it.

He pressed the button that would call her number and let out a sigh, feeling his stomach doing flips each time that phone would ring.

"Hello?" she answered

"Hey, I just got your message," Dante told her.

"Yeah?" Lulu said. "When would be a good time for you to meet? I'll clear my schedule. You want to try to have lunch or something?"

She was rambling, he noted, some she did when she was nervous. Why did things have to be so damn awkward?

"Lulu, if you want to end…whatever we had, you can just tell me over the phone," Dante replied.

"No…that's not what I want at all," Lulu spoke quickly, and then her stomach knotted with worry. "Is that what you want?"

"No, I just figured that's what you wanted to talk to me about," Dante said. "Are you free tonight?"

"It's nearly 10 o'clock," Lulu said ludicrously. "Lexi and Tanner are in bed and I'm assuming Bridger and Mia are too."

"I know, but I have a friend living with me until he can get back on his feet, he can stay here with Bridger and Mia and I'll come to you," Dante offered.

"You have a friend living with you?" Lulu questioned curiously.

"I'll explain it later," he answered. "So would that work for you or did you have other plans?"

"No, that's fine," Lulu replied. "I'll be here, come on over."

Dante walked into the living room to see Ronnie watching a movie on TV, "Where are you going?" he asked his friend.

"If you don't mind staying here with Bridger and Mia, I was going to go talk to Lulu," Dante replied

"You're leaving me here with your kids?" Ronnie asked in disbelief, he had never taken care of kids, he didn't know the first thing about taking care of a kid other than what he had picked up from staying with Dante for the last two weeks.

"If you don't want to I can call Lulu back and tell her I can't come," Dante said, hoping Ronnie wouldn't take him up on his offer.

"No, it's okay, I'll be fine," Ronnie replied. "What if one of them wakes up?"

"Bridger should go right back to sleep and if Mia wakes up, it's probably because she's hungry, the stuff to make a bottle is in the kitchen, you've been here long enough, I'm sure you've seen it," Dante explained, putting a jacket on. "If you need to, you can call me."

"Oh if one of them wakes up, I will most definitely be calling you," Ronnie said.

"Thanks Ronnie," Dante told him before walking out the door.

Lulu thought back to her conversation from hours before when her mother and cousin came barging into her office.

"_Why are you avoiding that poor man?" Laura questioned._

"_Yeah, Maxie told me that you said after you went to Niagara Falls things were going good for you and Dante," Carly added. "What happened?"_

_Lulu groaned, knowing they had both come from soccer practice, "You didn't harass him, did you?" Lulu wondered._

"_Of course we didn't," Laura assured her daughter. "We were only talking and he mentioned he hadn't talked to you in awhile."_

"_So what's going on with you two?" Carly asked, sitting down in the chair across from Lulu at her desk._

"_I don't know, I'm having second thoughts about a relationship," Lulu replied. "Being around Dante is so comfortable and I'm not sure that's a good thing."_

"_Honey, that's a wonderful thing," Laura said, also taking a seat. "Lulu, don't shut down, don't push him away, you need to give this relationship a fair chance."_

"_She's right," Carly agreed. "I never saw you as happy about going on a date with a guy as you were that first night you went on a date with Dante."_

"_Sweetheart, you've come a long way physically and emotionally in the last six years," Laura added. "If you date him for awhile longer and you don't think it will work out, fine…you've given the relationship a chance, but don't walk away now."_

"_It's pretty obvious he's crazy about you Lulu," Carly told Lulu. "And I think he has fears just like you do, it's not something that's irrational, but you…you want to ignore him and just hope he goes away, that's what irrational."_

_Lulu knew her mother and cousin weren't going to let up, "So what should I do?" she asked_

"_I think you need to tell him how you feel," Laura replied. "Chances are, some of your fears are the same as some of his."_

Lulu was brought from her thoughts when she heard a light knock at the door. She jumped up off the couch, knowing it was Dante and went toward the door.

"Hi," Dante said, unsure of how to greet her, even though he really just wanted to kiss her soft lips. Instead, he settled for a head-to-toe once over, noting that she still looked sexy as ever in pajama pants and a navy t-shirt with their soccer team's logo across the front.

"Hi…come in," she smiled, opening the door for him to come in. "Can I get you something to eat or drink or anything?"

"No, I'm okay, thank you," Dante replied as they walked over to the couch.

They both sat down, Lulu curled both legs up underneath her body as she took a seat, "So um," she hesitated, unsure of how to start this much-needed conversation. "I just want to apologize for avoiding you lately, I don't want you to think it's anything you did…I'm just scared of the feelings I have for you and I feel guilty for moving on after losing Johnny."

"Lulu, the last thing I want is for you to think I'm going to make you forget about Johnny," Dante told her honestly. "If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be the woman you are today and you sure wouldn't have those two wonderful kids."

"I know and I appreciate that you respect that," Lulu said. "I'm scared Dante…I don't want to screw this up and I'm afraid that's what will happen."

"I'm scared too," he admitted, taking her hand and gently squeezing it. "I find myself so comfortable around you, it's scary."

"Me too," she replied, absentmindedly rubbing circles on his hand with the pad of her thumb. "That's part of the reason I have kept my distance…I've wanted to spend every day with you since we got back from Niagara Falls and that scares the hell out of me. I don't want to give you the wrong idea by spending so much time with you, but then again, I don't want you to think that I don't want to see you anymore. I'm just having a really hard time finding a balance."

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you," he said. "And I know it's not easy to go into a relationship after what happened with Johnny…I don't understand completely, but you know I have a slight idea of how that feels . I want you to know that I'm willing to wait…I know you're scared, I'm scared too, but in the few months that I've known you, I've realized I don't want to be without you in my life, even if it's just friendship."

"That's not what I want, Dante," Lulu replied, Dante's face hardened. "I don't want friendship with you, I want more. I _want_ to be able to share things with you. I _want_ to be close with you. But every time that happens, I panic. I don't know how to fix that."

Dante let out a sigh of relief, "Are you panicking right now?" He asked as he ran his free hand up and down her arm slowly.

"No," Lulu said, unsure of why he was questioning her.

"Well, maybe next time you start to panic all you need to do is talk it over with someone," he suggested, now holding both of her hands in his. "And know that anytime you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

"Thank you," she smiled.

"I know most guys aren't this open with their feelings, so if you think it's weird, you can tell me," he said.

Lulu leaned forward and kissed his cheek lightly, "But you're not most guys, remember?" she asked as she pulled her legs up underneath her again as she sat back down.

"So let's just make a deal right now," Dante paused, she cocked her head curiously. "If either of us starts having doubts, we make sure to talk to the other first before making irrational decisions."

"Deal," she agreed, they sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments before Dante spoke.

"Now that we got that out of the way, I wanted to see if you would like to go out with me on Saturday just the two of us, something casual," he wondered. "I know I promised I would cook for you, but I was hoping we could have some time with just the two of us."

"I'd like that," Lulu nodded. "So now explain this friend you having living with you?"

"Right…he's a guy I have known most of my life, he got laid off and he's looking for a new job, he actually had an interview at the PCPD this morning," Dante explained.

"Another cop," Lulu noted. "At least I don't have to worry about Bridger and Mia's safety."

"Nope, they're perfectly safe with Ronnie, I told him to call if he needed me," Dante said, Lulu sighed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…it's just…" she hesitated, almost feeling foolish. "I miss Bridger and Mia."

Dante let out a laugh. "If it makes you feel any better, I think they're missing you too," he said.

"Really?" Lulu asked happily. "Do you think I could come by before we go out on Saturday to see them?"

"Yeah, that would be great, you can meet Ronnie," he answered.

"Is he going to baby-sit for you?" Lulu questioned curiously.

"Um, I'm not sure actually," Dante replied. "I hadn't expected…I mean had hoped you would want to go out with me on Saturday, but I wasn't sure if you would want to, so I haven't got a sitter."

"Well, Mom just fell in love with Bridger and she can't wait to meet Mia, so I could ask her if she would like to keep them," Lulu told him, reaching over to get her cup of hot tea from the coffee table and taking a sip of it.

"But don't you think that would make the kids ask questions?" Dante wondered.

"You're right," Lulu realized, placing the cup back on the table.

Dante looked at the clock on the mantle, "I should probably get back to the house," he said, getting up off the couch. "Ronnie is probably ready to kill me."

"Why, does he not like kids?" Lulu asked, also standing.

"No, he loves kids, he was afraid he wouldn't know what to do if either of them woke up while I was gone," Dante told her, silently thanking God that Ronnie was there to keep the kids so he could see Lulu.

"Thank you for coming over Dante," she smiled as he reached for the doorknob and opened the door. "I'm glad we got a chance to talk."

"Me too," he smiled back before leaning in to kiss her forehead. "See you Saturday."

"See you Saturday," she repeated, and then he stepped out the door.

On Saturday, Lulu pulled up to Dante's house after dropping Lexi and Tanner off at Carly and Jax's, where they would be spending the night.

She walked to the door and knocked. A few moments later a man opened the door.

"Hi," Lulu said politely, and then held out her hand to shake his. "You must be Ronnie."

Ronnie smiled back, shaking her hand, "And you must be Lulu," he said, she nodded. "It's nice to meet you, come in."

"Thank you," Lulu replied, walking into the house.

"Dante's told me a lot about you," Ronnie told her.

"All good, I hope," she joked, unsure of what else to say.

"Of course," he replied.

"Lulu!" Bridger exclaimed, running down the hall and straight toward Lulu, who knelt down to meet his embrace. "I missed you."

"Hey Bridge, I missed you too, little man," Lulu replied, feeling the tears sting her eyes when he said he missed her. "How are you?"

"Good," he told her as she stood back up, Ronnie had walked into the dining room to make a sandwich, which was next to the living room. "Are you going with Daddy and Uncle Ronnie tonight?"

Lulu glanced up at Ronnie, he nodded his head, cueing her to say yes. Her focus went back to Bridger, "Yeah, I am," she replied.

"Where are Tanner and Lexi?" he questioned.

"They're staying at Josslyn's house tonight," Lulu told him

"Oh," he replied.

"Bridger, your dad said you had to brush your teeth and get ready for bed before your babysitter gets here," Ronnie reminded him.

"Oh yeah," he said before he took off down the hallway.

"Dante is almost ready," Ronnie said as he placed the sandwich in a sandwich bag, then into a paper sack. "Mia was playing in her crib in the nursery, he said to tell you that you could go get her."

"Okay," Lulu replied as she started down the hallway, unsure of where to go until the saw a lilac colored room toward the end of the hall.

She stepped into the room and saw Mia in her crib, pulling on the toys dangling above her. Lulu watched her from the doorway, but then moved closer, and when she did Mia's focus turned to Lulu. "Hi Miss Mia," she spoke softly with a smile.

Mia studied Lulu's face for a moment, then flashed her toothless grin, causing Lulu to laugh before she picked her up, "Hi my sweet girl," she said as she began swaying back and forth with her. "You sure are smiley."

"I told you she's missed you," a voice came from the doorway, Lulu turned around to find Dante, who walked over and placed a hand on Lulu's back and allowed Mia to grip his finger.

"I've missed her too," Lulu said, hugging the baby closely.

"Did you meet Ronnie?" Dante asked her.

"Yeah, I did, he seems like a nice guy," Lulu replied. "Is he going with us?"

"No," Dante shook his head. "We just didn't want Bridger to get suspicious, so we said that we were going to dinner with some other friends."

"So what's he going to do while we're gone?" Lulu wondered. "I don't want to make him leave just so we can keep this a secret from the kids."

"It's fine, he's going to work, he got the job at the PCPD," Dante answered.

"That's great," Lulu replied.

"Yeah, he was pretty happy about it and I'm glad he'll be in town for awhile," Dante said as they started back toward the living room.

"I think Mia's grown like a weed since the last time I saw her," Lulu told him.

"She probably has," Dante replied as they walked into the living room. "Ronnie, I hope you didn't tell Lulu anything too embarrassing."

"Just that he's heard a lot about me," Lulu revealed. "Which leads me to believe you've been talking about me to him a lot."

"Guilty," Dante admitted. "You better watch it Dimestico or you're going to end up on the street."

Once Hailey arrived, the three of them left, Ronnie to go to work and Lulu and Dante to go out to dinner at a barbeque restaurant.

"Since I didn't get a chance to cook for you, I'm going to prohibit you from ordering salad or anything else that is like that bird food that you eat," Dante told her as they looked over the menu.

"That's not fair, you can't tell me what I can and can't eat," Lulu gave him a shocked look, but was also smiling.

"Then can I ask you to get something other than bird food?" Dante wondered, she glared at him over her menu, trying to hide her smile. "Just once."

Lulu sighed, pretending to be annoyed, but the fact that he paid that much attention to what she ate amused her, "I guess," she answered, then looked back at her menu.

"I've been thinking about taking Bridger to a Yankees game soon, to get him excited about t-ball and I was kind of hoping to take Lexi and Tanner too if they wanted," Dante told her after they had ordered their food. "Would you want to go?"

"Baseball isn't really my thing," she answered honestly, taking a sip of her iced tea.

"So…you'd get to spend the day with me," he said, making an attempt at convincing her to go.

"And that's supposed to make me want to go?" she teased.

"Harsh," he replied, putting his hands over his heart and leaning back in the booth.

"Really though, we won't be able to hold hands or anything because the kids still don't know," Lulu reminded him.

"I've been thinking about that a lot," Dante said. "What are your thoughts on telling the kids? Do you think we should wait or could we tell them?"

"Well, I think it still might be a little soon," Lulu answered, honestly. "Dante…I know we talked things over and I haven't changed my mind, but there's still a part of me that is pessimistic about everything and I can't help it."

"It's okay," Dante assured her. "I'm not in any hurry to tell them…I mean, I would love for them to know, so we don't have to keep stealing kisses and holding hands when they're not looking, but I was just curious what your take was on it."

"I don't know, I kind of like being sneaky," Lulu smiled, taking his hand in hers on top of the table. "But maybe by the time we take the kids to a baseball game, we'll be ready to tell them."

"So does that mean you'll go?" Dante asked hopefully as he leaned forward across the table.

"How could I pass up spending a day with you?" Lulu countered, also leaning forward for Dante to kiss her.

_As always, let me know what you think!_


	11. Go Yankees!

_Hey all, I know it's been awhile and this is probably how it will be until at least January. So I apologize in advance. But I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

**Chapter 11 – Go Yankees!**

The last month had flown by. Dante and Lulu had continued spending time together with and without the kids. Between Ronnie's severance pay and the money he had saved since getting the job at the PCPD, he was able to rent a small apartment and move out of Dante's house.

The school year was nearing the end and the kids were ready for summer to begin. T-ball practice had started and the soccer season was nearing its end.

Dante had finally got around to cooking dinner for Lulu one night. Just has he had promised, they had steak and were also accompanied by the kids.

The day for them to go to New York City for the Yankees game, they had planned on going to lunch before the game began that afternoon and still had a long drive ahead of them, so they had opted for leaving early so they would have enough time.

_It is entirely too early to be awake on a Saturday_, Lulu thought to herself as she pulled up to Dante's house. Even though the fashion industry never slept, Maxie took complete control on Saturdays so Lulu could sleep in, when Lexi and Tanner allowed for that, which they usually did after she allowed them to stay up later than usual.

She glanced in the backseat to see both of her kids asleep, not wanting to wake them, she left the car running as she got out. She walked to the door and knocked, but after a minute or so, no one came to the door. She had talked to Dante before she left her house via text message, so she knew he was awake.

Lulu opened the door and noticed Bridger was asleep on the couch fully dressed with his head resting on his small backpack. She didn't blame him, as much as she was looking forward to their day, she wished she could go back to sleep.

As she started down the hall, Dante came out of the bathroom brushing his teeth.

"Hey, I'm running a little late, I'm sorry," he said, walking toward his room. "Where are the kids? I don't hear them."

"Bridger's asleep on the couch and Lexi and Tanner are asleep in the car," Lulu replied. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Actually, if you don't mind, Mia needs her diaper changed," Dante mumbled as he continued brushing his teeth.

"Yeah, but what about clothes?" Lulu questioned as she opened the door to the nursery.

"I don't really see the point in changing her out of her pajamas when we're taking her to your mom's and she'll be going back to bed," Dante answered as he picked up the folded up pack 'n play to take to Laura's and sat it in the hallway.

Laura had been begging for the opportunity to keep Bridger and Mia, she had got the chance to keep Bridger one afternoon when he came home from school with Tanner and Lexi. She had convinced them that today would be the perfect opportunity for her to keep Mia.

"That's true," Lulu said, walking into the nursery to find Mia sleeping peacefully in her crib. "You know Mom will probably put her in bed with her when we leave, right?"

"That's okay," he replied, going back into the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth. "As long as it doesn't become a habit, it should be okay."

"She would probably be a free full-time babysitter," Lulu told him, taking a diaper from the diaper holder and grabbing the wipes case from under the changing table. "She's going to be harassing you to keep them, especially Mia. She hasn't had a baby in her house since my niece Ray was a baby."

"Maybe we could work something out, of course I wouldn't let her keep them without paying her," Dante replied, coming back into the nursery to kiss Lulu.

"Good morning to you too," Lulu smiled when they pulled back from the kiss.

"I'm glad you're going with us today," he confessed, taking her hand in his.

"Me too," she replied. "But we better get going if we're going to make it to Times Square for lunch and get to the game on time."

"Okay, I just have to make sure everything is in her diaper bag and I'll carry Bridger out to the car," Dante said, kissing her cheek, then her knuckles before leaving the room.

Lulu got Mia changed and in her car seat without even stirring her from her peaceful sleep. She carried her to the car as Dante took Bridger, who barely woke up when Dante put his seatbelt on him and placed his pillow between him and the window.

When they pulled up to Laura's, she opened the door as Dante and Lulu walked up to the front porch, "Hi sweetheart, hi Dante," she said.

"Hi Mom," Lulu hugged her mom as they went inside and Lulu unbuckled Mia and took her out of her car seat.

"She should sleep for at least another hour, but probably longer if you want to lay her back down," Dante said, placing the diaper bag on the couch and the pack 'n play on floor. "Where should I set this up?"

"Here in the living room is fine," Laura told him as he started to set it up.

"I told him you'd probably just put her in bed with you," Lulu smiled.

"Can I?" Laura asked. "I haven't had any good snuggle time with a baby since Ray was this size."

"That's fine, as long as it doesn't become a habit," Dante told her as he had told Lulu.

He loved Mia more than anything, as he did Bridger, but if there was one thing he learned from parenting books and the classes he and Camilla took when she was pregnant with Bridger, he learned to make the baby sleep in their own crib.

"I'm not sure what time we'll be back, it shouldn't be too late, but we're going to go by Dante's mom's," Lulu told Laura, who was watching the baby contently. "Do you want to hold her?"

"I'd love to," Laura smiled, holding out her arms as Lulu placed the baby in them.

"All of her stuff is in her diaper bag, the blanket that's in her car seat is the one she likes to sleep with," Dante informed Laura.

"He hasn't ever left her like this before, he's a little nervous," Lulu said, rubbing her hand up and down his back.

"There's nothing to be nervous about honey," Laura smiled at Dante. "Miss Mia and I are going to have a fun day."

"I know, I know you'll take care of her," Dante nodded. "But if you need anything, call us."

"We should probably get going," Lulu told him.

"Yeah, the kids are still asleep in the car…I hope," Dante added, then leaned down to kiss his daughter on the forehead. "Bye Mia."

"Tell Daddy we'll be just fine," Laura said with a smile.

"Thank you again for offering to keep her," Dante smiled back.

"See you later Mia," Lulu said, also kissing the baby on the forehead, then her mom on the cheek. "I'll call you when we're on our way home, Mom."

"Alright sweetheart, you guys be careful and have fun," Laura replied as they walked out the door.

Once they got to the restaurant they were eating at, they were waiting for a table to be available. The kids' imaginations ran rampant as they took in their surroundings.

Dante and Lulu were leaning against the wall a few feet from the kids, when he looked over and noticed she still looked sleepy as she stared off into space. He wished he could wrap her arms around her and let her rest against him, but knew the kids would be a suspicious, if they even noticed at all.

"What are you thinking about?" he wondered, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"About the kids," Lulu replied, coming out of her daze and turning her head to look at Dante. "I think we should tell them."

"Tell them…" he asked, his sentence trailing off.

"You know, about us," she answered, as she stood up, no longer leaning against the wall.

"Are you sure?" he questioned.

"Yeah," she nodded confidently. "I've been thinking about it and I think now is a good time, that way we don't have to be so secretive."

"I just don't want you to feel like we have to just because I mentioned it that night," he told her, pushing his body away from the wall to stand in front of her.

"No, I don't think that," Lulu said. "Unless you're having second thoughts."

"No, not at all," he replied quickly. "I would love for the kids to know."

"Do you think we should tell them today?" Lulu wondered. "I'm just worried they're not going to be happy about it and it could ruin the day."

"Are you kidding?" he laughed. "They're going to be ecstatic."

"I hope you're right," Lulu sighed, suddenly starting to get nervous about telling them.

After they ordered lunch, Lulu and Dante sat quietly as the kids talked and colored on the paper that covered the table.

Dante looked at Lulu and saw the nervous look on her face. He reached for her hand under the table and squeezed it gently. She met his gaze, his smile reassuring her that the kids would be happy about what they were going to tell them.

"Hey guys," Dante said to get their attention, then paused, unsure of how to proceed as he suddenly felt nervous. "Um…how would you feel about Lulu and I…being boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"No way," "Ew," "That's gross!" elicited from the 7-year-olds' mouths, then they are started talking at once.

"Wait," Lulu spoke, holding a hand up to silence them. "One at a time."

Lexi lifted her hand in the air, "Lexi," Dante pointed at her to take her turn.

"But you said kissing boys is gross," she told her mother.

Lulu closed her eyes and shook her head, suppressing a laugh as her own words were thrown in her face. She lowered her face into her hands.

"She did, did she?" Dante asked Lexi as he looked to Lulu with a cocky grin on his face.

"Dad, you said girls had cooties except for sisters," Bridger pointed out.

Lulu's shot a looked at Dante, but was also grinning back at him, then looked at Bridger, "What about Lexi, she's not your sister," Lulu told him.

"But she's my sister," Tanner reminded her, matter-of-factly.

"Oh, so that counts?" Lulu asked her son.

By this time, they were all laughing and the nervousness that was previously displayed on Lulu's face had melted away. "Seriously though, if girls don't have cooties and you can kiss boys, would it be okay if Lulu and I were boyfriend and girlfriend?" Dante questioned.

"Does that mean Bridger gets to move in with us?" Tanner wondered.

"No sweetie," Lulu replied. "It means that Dante and I will go out on dates and sometimes we'll take you, like today, but they will live at their house and we will live at ours."

"Will you kiss her?" Bridger asked Dante with a disgusted look on his face.

"Sometimes," Dante nodded.

"You're awfully quiet over there Lex," Lulu said, taking a sip of her water as she looked at her daughter. "What are you thinking about?"

"Is Dante going to be our dad?" she asked quietly.

Lulu was taken aback by the question, unsure of how to answer it, but she knew it was inevitable. "Well…that's kind of hard to explain," she began, feeling Dante squeeze her hand under the table, she glanced at him before turning back to her daughter. "Right now, the answer is no. Someday—a long time from now—Dante and I might want to get married, but we might not. But if we were to get married, that would be something we would discuss with all of you. Okay?"

"Okay," Lexi answered

"We just wanted to make sure it was okay with the three of you that we dated," Dante added. "If any of you don't like the idea, then we won't be boyfriend and girlfriend."

"What about Mia?" Bridger asked

"Mia already approves," Dante replied.

"So let's take a vote," Lulu said. "Yes if you're okay with us dating, no, if you're not."

"Yes," Lexi said with a smile.

"Tanner?"

"Yeah," he answered

"Bridge?" Dante asked.

"Okay," Bridger replied

Lulu and Dante looked at each other with smiles, "Are you gonna kiss her now?" Lexi giggled, causing Tanner and Bridger to start giggling as well.

"Maybe…are you gonna cover your eyes if we do?" Dante asked.

Lexi shook her head, "Kissing is gross."

"Then you better cover your eyes," Dante warned, the three kids covered their eyes, peaking through their fingers as Dante leaned over and kissed Lulu passionately, but briefly, eliciting giggles from the other side of the table.

They arrived at Yankee Stadium in time to go by the pro shop to get some foam fingers, as Dante had promised.

"Mommy, can I get one of these?" Lexi asked, pointing to a table full of pink Yankees t-shirts.

"Yeah, which one do you want?" Lulu asked as she started picking up shirts and reading the names on the back of them.

"Rodriguez, I want that one," Lexi exclaimed as Lulu read the name on the shirt.

"What's so special about Rodriguez?" Dante asked, coming up behind Lexi with Tanner and Bridger behind him with their gloves and foam fingers in hand.

"He's married to Lourdes Leon's mom," Lexi replied, her tone implying that he should know that.

Instead, Dante looked to Lulu with a confused expression, "Who?"

"Lourdes Leon is Madonna's daughter," Lulu told him, handing the shirt to Lexi. "Lourdes designs clothes that Lexi is absolutely in love with."

"Oh," Dante said with an uncaring look on his face.

"Yeah, she's definitely the daughter of a fashion magazine editor," Lulu laughed as they turned to walk toward the cash register, only to find Tanner and Bridger having a sword fight with their foam fingers.

"Hey, hey, stop," Dante said, stepping between the two boys. "We can't do that here, you might break something."

They stopped, then Tanner looked at Lulu, "How come Lexi gets a shirt?" he questioned.

"Because she asked for one," Lulu told him. "Do you want one?"

"Yes," he said

Lulu turned to Bridger, "Pick you one out too buddy," she said as they went back to the kids section.

"I want the Teixeira one," Tanner said, pointing to a shirt that was a replica of the players' jerseys. "He plays first base like me."

"Okay," Lulu said, picking out the correct shirt size, then handing it to Tanner.

"Can I have that one?" Bridger asked shyly, pointing to a Derek Jeter jersey that was like Tanner's.

"You sure can," Lulu told him with a smile. "Dante, can you reach that?"

Dante reached up to get the correct size because they were hanging high on the wall, "You don't have to do this," he said quietly to Lulu. "These things are kind of expensive."

"It's okay," Lulu replied, taking the shirt and handing it to Bridger with a smile. "He's worth it."

"What do you say Bridger?" Dante asked.

"Thank you," Bridger told Lulu.

"You're welcome sweetie," Lulu smiled. "Lexi, the boys got these jerseys, are you sure you don't want one like them?"

"No, I want this one," Lexi assured her.

"Okay, then let's go," Lulu said, ushering them toward the cashier.

After 3 snow cones, 2 bags of cotton candy, a pickle, a box of popcorn and a bag of Skittles, the Yankees were victorious and Dante, Lulu and the kids had arrived in Bensonhurst.

"Mama, where are we?" Lexi asked as they got out of the car.

"We're in Bensonhurst, this is where Dante grew up," Lulu replied. "We're going to see Dante's mom."

"Does she have a bathroom?" Tanner asked as Dante opened the gate in front of her duplex. "Because I have to go."

"Yeah, she has a bathroom," Dante laughed.

They walked up the front steps and Dante rang the doorbell, then glanced at Lulu, noticing the nervous expression on her face.

Lulu felt his hand wrap around hers, "What's wrong?" he wondered. "Are you nervous?"

"I'm about to meet your mom, of course I'm nervous," she said, letting out the breath she had been holding in.

"It will be okay, she's going to love you," he promised as he leaned over and kissed her temple.

And for the first time, she realized she was thankful that they had told the kids about them dating, because she knew that the touch of his lips and the feeling of her hand surrounded by his was the only things that were keeping her from wanting to bolt.

Just then, the front door opened, "Nonna!" Bridger exclaimed, jumping into Olivia's arms.

"Hi, my omino," she said, picking Bridger up, referring to him as her "little man," then she patted Dante on the cheek. "And my other omino."

"Hi Ma," he replied, as Olivia put Bridger down and hugged Dante. "Ma, this is Lulu Spencer-Zacchara; Lulu this is my ma, Olivia Falconer."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Falconer," Lulu said, unsure of what to call her.

"No, you call me Olivia," she insisted, pulling Lulu into a hug, then looked down to Tanner and Lexi and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Lexi," she said, holding out her hand to shake Olivia's, but Olivia got down to eyelevel with her.

"You think I could get a hug instead?" she asked, Lexi grinned and walked into her embrace. "It's nice to meet you Lexi, you can call me Olivia or Nonna, that's what Bridger's friends call me."

"I like Nonna," Lexi smiled

"Me too," Olivia agreed, then looked to Tanner who backed up closer to Lulu. "The strong, silent type, huh?"

"Tanner, why don't you tell Olivia hi," Lulu suggested, laughing a little as her son's sudden shyness. "I'm sure she'd really like a hug."

"I sure would," Olivia added, finally Tanner stepped forward and Olivia pulled him into a hug. "Thank you."

"I'm Tanner," he said quietly.

"It's nice to meet you Tanner," she smiled.

"Are you gonna invite us in or do we have to stand out here all day?" Dante questioned.

"No, come in," she said, opening the storm door for them to go in. "Have a seat, can I get you anything to drink?"

"No, I'm good," Dante replied as he felt a tugging at his shirt.

"Dante," Tanner whispered.

"Oh yeah, come on buddy, I'll show you where the bathroom is," Dante replied as they started down the hall.

"Lulu, can I get you anything?" Olivia asked as Lulu, Lexi and Bridger sat down on the couch.

"No thank you, I'm fine," Lulu replied.

"Lexi, Bridger, I have lemonade," Olivia told them.

"No thank you," Lexi and Bridger said politely.

"So Dante tells me you own that magazine my cousin Connie used to run," Olivia said to Lulu as she sat down on the love seat.

"Yeah, well, co-own," Lulu replied. "My friend Maxie is the one who eats, sleeps and breathes fashion, I just kinda got pulled into it, I love it, but I've never been as into is as she is."

"That's good that you don't let it consume you though," Olivia told her. "That's what happened to Connie, she got tangled up in that and forgot where she came from."

"Yeah, I know there are more important things in life than shoes and clothes," Lulu smiled as she played with Lexi's hair.

"Did you guys have fun at the game?" Olivia asked Lexi and Bridger.

"Yeah," Lexi said

"And we won too," Bridger added.

"Very cool," Olivia said.

"Ma, how did you manage to get the day off?" Dante asked as he and Tanner came back into the living room, he sat down next to Olivia and Tanner sent over to sit by Bridger.

"Well, I worked this morning and everything that needed to be done this morning, I assigned to the people who work under me, so I could be home to see you guys," Olivia explained

"Where do you work?" Lulu asked

"At the Marriott in Brooklyn," Olivia replied.

"She's a meeting planner," Dante told Lulu.

"I've always thought it would be fun to work for a hotel," Lulu said.

"You do work in a hotel," Dante reminded her.

"I work at a hotel, not for a hotel, it's not the same thing," Lulu smiled as she rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Olivia. "How long have you worked there?"

"About 15 years," Olivia replied. "I got an entry level position before having a college degree was a must and I've worked my way up into a management position."

"Wow," Lulu said. "I bet there's never a dull moment."

"Never," Olivia laughed.

"When are you going to come see our new house, Nonna?" Bridger asked

"Yeah _Nonna_, when are you going to come visit us?" Dante added.

"Soon I hope," Olivia replied. "I have some vacation days I need to use."

After spending a couple of hours at Olivia's, they drove back to Port Charles, picked up Mia from Laura's and were pulling into Dante's driveway, when Lulu noticed a car parked on the street in front of the house, "Who is that?" she wondered.

"I don't know, I don't recognize the car," Dante replied, putting the car into park.

When they got out of the SUV, the person also got out of the car, Dante immediately went into defense mode, but then Bridger took off running toward the person, "MOMMY!" he exclaimed.

"Mommy?" Lulu's head shot up, looking at Bridger and the woman.

"No way," Dante spoke as Camilla looked up at him and smiled.

_Just when you thought things were safe…_


	12. HelloGoodbye

_Hey guys, it's been awhile. I haven't given up and have no plans of giving up on this fic. I have two weeks left of classes and might not be able to even start writing on Chapter 13 until after I'm done for the semester because I have so much going on and a lot of deadlines to meet. Just know I'm not giving up and I hope you don't either! I also hope you like this chapter.  
_

**Chapter 12—Hello…Goodbye**

"You're going to stay, aren't you Mommy?" Bridger asked as Dante approached them and knelt down to eyelevel with his son.

"Bridger, we talked about this, Mommy isn't going to live with us anymore," Dante said, then glanced up as Camilla, noticing the façade she was putting on, even though he knew she was high on something. He looked back to Bridger. "Can you go sit in the car for a minute and let me and Mommy talk for a minute?"

"Yeah," he replied sadly, walking back to the SUV.

That's when Camilla noticed Lulu standing by where Mia's car seat was buckled in. "Who the hell is that?" she demanded. "It's one thing for you to move on, I know I hurt you, but for you to let some slut go around my kids—our children, Dante—you're accusing me of not having respect for them and you're the one who let's any whore around them!"

Lulu had enough and before she realized it, she went straight for Camilla and would have slapped her, but Dante stopped her. "She's not worth it," he told her.

"You bitch," Camilla roared. "You think you can just come in and take over in my family…I'll die before I let that happen.

"Okay Camilla, I've had enough, you need to leave…now," he told her. "Why did you even come here?"

Camilla broke down into tears, "I don't have anywhere to go," she sobbed. "I lost my job and my friend and I got kicked out of our apartment because we couldn't pay rent."

Lulu rolled her eyes, knowing that the drugs were the root of both problems, Dante pulled his keys out of his pocket. "Do you mind taking the kids into the house?" He asked. "I'm sorry they've had to witness this, but I don't want them to see anymore.

"Yeah," she replied, taking his keys out of his hand and going back toward the SUV.

Dante turned back to Camilla, who was still crying, "You're going to have to find somewhere else to stay, I told you I wasn't dealing with you and your problems anymore," he said. "You're obviously strung out and that's not something my kids or Lulu's need to see."

Camilla let out a scoff, "Lulu…what kind of name is that?" She laughed. "Tell me Dante, how long did it take to get that slut into your bed?"

"You do _not_talk about Lulu like that, to me, her or anyone else," Dante yelled. "How in the hell did you even know where I lived?"

"Oh, I heard you had moved here and when I got into town, I went to the police station and asked for directions to your house," she explained. "I didn't know where else to go."

Dante was mentally kicking himself and knew he would probably regret what he was about to say, but no matter how much he wanted to hate the woman standing in front of him, he would almost worship the ground she walked on for giving him Bridger and Mia.

He let out a sigh, "I'll call the local women's shelter to see if you can stay there for tonight, but you have to leave tomorrow morning and go on pretending that you don't know us," Dante said. "Bridger and Mia aren't your children, they're mine and I'm going to do every damn thing possible to make sure they're not hurt by you anymore."

"What about Lulu, where does she fit into the picture?" Camilla asked with a disdainful tone in her voice.

"Lulu and I are dating," he told her. "We have been for about 2 months, she cares a great deal about Bridger and Mia and they're crazy about her, so you might want to think about that before you cal her anymore children.

"You think I could see Mia for a moment?" she wondered.

"If you want to go in there and apologize to Lulu for what you said about her," Dante replied

Camilla rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.

After Lulu had taken the kids into the house, she sent Bridger, Tanner and Lexi into the play room, and then took Mia from her car seat, changed her into some pajamas and placed her in her crib.

She watched as Mia slowly drifted back to sleep and thought about how much this could change her relationship, not only with Dante, but with Bridger and Mia as well. That thought scared her, she had become so close with all three of them and was afraid something like this would happen.

Dante had been outside talking to his ex-girlfriend for nearly fifteen minutes by the time Lulu had walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch, and then she heard the front door open.

"Camilla has something she'd like to say to you Lulu," Dante said.

"I apologize for saying what I said about you, Dante told me you care a lot about my children and since I obviously make horrible decisions, I'm glad they have someone like you in their lives," she told Lulu.

"I do care a lot about them and I appreciate your apology," Lulu said, then gave Dante a look that said she wasn't comfortable with the situation.

"Where are the kids?" he asked her.

"They're playing in Bridger's room and I put Mia in her crib," Lulu replied, putting her hands into her pockets. "I'm going to get Tanner and Lexi and head home."

"What? No," Dante stopped her by lightly grasping her hand, then he looked at Camilla. "Mia's room is the last one on the left, if you'd like to go see her while I make this phone call."

"Okay," Camilla replied as she started down the hall.

"Phone call?" Lulu asked

"Yeah, I'm going to see if Camilla can stay at the local women's shelter," Dante said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"So she's not staying here?" Lulu wondered

"Hell no," Dante answered simply as he started toward the desk in the corner to look for a phone book. "I think I'm being generous enough by letting her even see the kids, I'm not offering her a place to stay, now or ever."

"Good," Lulu exhaled.

Dante stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Lulu, "Why?" he asked as a smirk appeared on his face. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"No," Lulu said quickly, but he caught her gaze and she grinned. "Okay, maybe a little…but can you blame me?"

"I know…I'm pretty irresistible," he said, bringing her hand to his lips and pressing a light kiss to her knuckles. "Let me make this phone call real quick."

After he made the call, he turned to find the living room empty, but heard the water running in the kitchen, so he followed the sound.

"What did they say?" Lulu asked before placing the empty glass she had rinsed into the dishwasher.

"That they have a spot for her tonight, but they have a woman with two kids coming in tomorrow, so she won't be able to stay past tonight," Dante replied.

"So what's going to happen then?" Lulu asked, trying not to be overbearing, but she couldn't help but to feel protective over Dante and his children.

"Well, I planned on calling her parents to see what they can do," Dante said as he leaned against the kitchen counter. "But I'm not dealing with it anymore. It was a big step for me to even let her see the kids, even though I really had no choice with Bridger."

"I should probably get Tanner and Lexi so Camilla can say goodbye to Bridger and Mia without any distractions," Lulu said as she started to walk out of the kitchen.

"Actually," Dante began, his voice caused her to stop and turn to face him again. "I need to show Camilla how to get there and make sure she actually goes. I know it's late, but if you could stay here so I don't have to get Bridger and Mia back out, I would greatly appreciate it."

"Yeah, no problem," she nodded.

"Thank you," Dante said as they heard Mia crying, they both took off down the hall. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, she woke up when I picked her up and I tried to rock her, but it didn't work," Camilla said as Dante took Mia from her.

He put Mia's head on his shoulder and started shushing her as he rubbed her back. Lulu smiled from the doorway as she heard Mia's cries cease.

"We should probably get going," Dante told Camilla.

"Okay," Camilla replied sadly, walking over and kissing Mia on the cheek. "Bye baby girl, Mommy loves you."

"Will you try to get her back to sleep?" Dante asked.

"Sure," Lulu replied, taking Mia from Dante, then sitting down in the rocking chair with her.

When she came into the living room a few minutes later, Dante and Camilla were talking to Bridger, and Lexi and Tanner were sitting in the large armchair. Lulu sat down on the couch.

"I don't want Mommy to leave, I want her to stay with us," Bridger whined.

Dante led Bridger over to the couch and sat him down on it before kneeling in front of him, "Listen Bridge, I know you love your mommy, but she can't stay here with us," he told his son. "You know how sometimes when you, Lexi and Tanner are playing and you get mad because somebody isn't playing nice?"

"Yeah," Bridger nodded

"Well, some of the things your mom and I have done haven't been very nice," Dante explained, trying to remain neutral, instead of putting all the blame on Camilla.

"But why can't you just say you're sorry?" he asked with tears in his eyes

"It's not that easy buddy," Dante replied sadly. "But know that your mom and I love you and Mia so much, but remember me telling you about the judge saying your mom isn't supposed to see you and your sister because of some the things she's done?"

"Yeah," he said, tears rolling down his cheeks. "But can't you just tell the judge that she can?"

"May I?" Camilla asked Dante.

He nodded cautiously in return, he and Lulu both went to stand by the armchair Tanner and Lexi were sitting in as Camilla sat down next to Bridger.

"Sweetie, I know you want me here with you, but I am not able to take care of you and Mia, and your daddy and I decided last year that it would be best if you lived with him," Camilla said. "And I wanted to make sure you were doing okay, but now that I know you are, I have to leave."

"Can I go with you?" Bridger asked

"No sweetie, you can't," Camilla said sadly. "You have to stay here and help your daddy with Mia."

"No, I want to go with you!" he exclaimed, grabbing her arm as she stood up.

"Bridger, you're going to stay here with Lulu, Lexi and Tanner while I take your mommy somewhere to get help," Dante told his son.

"I don't want to stay here," Bridger yelled. "I want Mommy!"

"Sshh, you're going to wake your sister up," Camilla said as she knelt down to eyelevel with him. "I want you to show me you can be a big boy and help your daddy take care of Mia, she needs her big brother."

"Okay," he cried. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too, baby," Camilla said.

Once they arrived at the shelter, Dante got out to speak to Camilla, "I want you to know that I'm not happy with what happened tonight," he told her. "I don't want you coming back; it's taken Bridger a long time to stop asking about you every day and this is going to set him back a lot."

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to see how they were doing," Camilla began to cry again.

"I was nice enough to let you see the kids tonight Camilla, but if you so much as _think_ about coming back again, I will not hesitate to get a restraining order," Dante told her. "They're not your children and one day Bridger will be old enough to understand what you did and that you loved being drunk or high more than you loved him and Mia."

"I screwed up, I know that Dante," she retorted. "You don't have to keep reminding me."

"Poor you, right?" He asked. "I tried to help you Camilla, time after time and all I got was a slap in the face, I'm done now though, the only reason I helped you out tonight is so I don't have to look at my kids and tell them I made their mom sleep in a car on the side of the road."

"Good, I don't need your help," Camilla said before turning to walk into the building.

When Dante got back to the house, Lulu was asleep on the couch and the house was quiet. It had been a long day for all of them and he felt terrible asking Lulu to stay with the kids, but knew it was best if they got the goodbye over with at the house.

He walked over, placed his keys and cell phone on the coffee table, and then picked her feet off of the couch before sitting down on it and placing her feet in his lap.

"Hmm…" she stirred, then smiled as she realized Dante was sitting in front of her. "You're back."

"Yeah," he spoke quietly. "Where are the kids?"

"They're all asleep, I put Lexi and Tanner in your bed, I hope you don't mind," she answered, stretching a little before she pulled her feet out of Dante's lap and scooted closer to him.

"No, it's fine," he replied, wrapping his arm around her. "Was Bridger okay after I left?"

"Yeah, I think he was just exhausted, but having Camilla here did escalate the situation," Lulu said. "I had him put pajamas on and I read to him and he fell asleep before I even finished the book."

"I'm sorry you, Tanner and Lexi had to witness that," Dante told her, kicking her shoes off.

"I was amazed at how well she can turn her emotions on and off," Lulu replied. "One minute she was screaming and yelling and the next she was comforting Bridger like it was the most natural thing in the world."

"Yeah, that's how it is with her on drugs," Dante told her. "But I told her not to come back or I would file a restraining order on her. I felt that was little harsh, but I have to protect my kids."

"I think any real parent would see keeping her away from them is the best thing you could do," Lulu assured him.

"Thank you for being so understanding," he told her, kissing her briefly. "And for being jealous."

Lulu let out a laugh, "Well…that was the easy part," she replied as Dante leaned in to kiss her again.

She felt his mouth press against hers and draw her into a long, deep kiss. Dante's tongue darted between her lips, the soft touch exploring her mouth. Lulu started to respond by moving her tongue against his, savoring the taste and feel of his mouth on hers. His hand went to the back of her neck, lightly threading his fingers into her hair as he deepened the kiss.

Then, Dante's phone began to ring, he cursed as he rested his forehead on hers, then reached for the phone and noticed the call was from his mother.

"She's calling to tell me I forgot to call when we got home," he told Lulu before answering the phone. "Hi Ma, we made it home."

"Oh really?" she spoke with sarcasm and disdain in her voice. "You've had me worried sick, I was afraid you were stranded on the side of the road somewhere with Lulu and those kids!"

"I'm sorry Ma," Dante answered. "I have a good excuse…"

"It better be a good excuse," she told him, he could almost see her putting her hand on her hip.

"Camilla showed up tonight," he said.

"You've got to be kidding me," she replied. "You sent her packing, right?"

"Yeah, but she was here when we got home and before I could do anything, Bridger was in her arms," Dante explained. "She's staying at a local women's shelter tonight, but I told her not to come back."

"Good, someone needs to set that girl straight," Olivia said. "But other than that, things are okay back in Port Charles?"

"Yeah, things are great," Dante replied, glancing at Lulu, who smiled in return.

"I miss you guys already," she confessed sadly.

"Then you should come see us," Dante suggested.

"Oh, tell her she should come to the city's 4th of July celebration, Crimson is sponsoring it," Lulu whispered to him.

"Ma, Lulu reminded me the 4th of July is coming up, Crimson is sponsoring some celebration here in Port Charles, we'd love to have you," Dante said, hoping it would work, since she had been passing up opportunities to visit since they had moved to town.

"I'd like that," she admitted.

"Really?" he was shocked, Lulu's eyes lit up when he spoke because she knew Dante had been trying to get Olivia to visit for a long time.

"Yeah, I think I might just pay a visit to your quaint little town," she replied.

"Wow, I would have had Lulu ask a long time ago if I knew that's what it took to get you here," he said with a laugh.

"Well, I've been thinking about it for awhile and seeing how fast the kids are growing, I don't want to go that long without seeing them again," she replied.

"Well good, it's set, 4th of July, here in Port Charles," Dante said with a smile.

"Yes, I will be there," Olivia replied. "But right now, I am going to bed, so I will talk to you soon."

"Goodnight Ma," he said before they hung up, then looked back at Lulu and leaned toward her. "Now, where were we?"

She kissed him, but the put her hands on his chest, gently pushing him back. "As much as I would love to continue this, it's late and I am exhausted," she confessed. "And I really need to get Lexi and Tanner home in their own beds."

"Thank you for everything you did for me today," he said, pressing his lips to the side of her head.

"You're welcome, but I think you've thanked me enough today," Lulu smiled.

"Well, I just want you to know how appreciated you are," he told her.

"In that case, thank you, because you make me feel very appreciated," she replied as they shared one last kiss before they got up and Dante helped Lulu carry Lexi and Tanner to the SUV.


	13. Family

_So I know it's been forever and I hope I still have readers. I told you I wasn't planning on giving up, but things have continued to be crazy in my life causing some setbacks in my writing, but here it is. Hope you guys enjoy!_

**Chapter 13 – Family**

"Are you sure me staying here isn't an inconvenience?" Olivia asked as Lulu opened the door to the house from the garage.

"No, not at all and we can't have you sleeping on Dante's couch or Bridger's tiny bed," Lulu said, walking into the kitchen and putting the grocery bags down on the kitchen table. "Now, we have a guest bedroom downstairs and one upstairs, both have an adjoining bathroom. The bathroom upstairs is also adjoined to Lexi's room, but it's clean and she can use mine while you're here."

"I think I'll go with the downstairs one, that way Lexi won't have to give up her bathroom," Olivia decided.

"Okay, let me show it to you," Lulu said as she started toward the guest bedroom, then turned back to Olivia. "Do you need help with any of your stuff?"

"No, I got it, thank you though," Olivia replied politely. "Where are the kids anyway?"

"They are at my mom's, I had a few things to get done at the office today and I knew it would be faster if I just let them stay with her for awhile," Lulu explained. "I thought I'd let you get settled in and you can either hang out here or go with me or if you had something else in mind, that's fine too."

"Oh, I'd love to meet your mom," Olivia smiled as Lulu opened the door into the guest bedroom for her. "If you don't mind, I'll just go with you."

"Great," Lulu returned the smile. "I know she can't wait to meet you, so I'll give you time to settle in while I put groceries away and then whenever you're ready, we can go."

"Sounds good," Olivia said, placing her purse on the bed and taking in her surroundings. "This room is beautiful."

"Thank you," Lulu replied. "There are extra hangers in the closet if you need them; the towels are in the cabinet in the bathroom, if there's anything else you need, just let me know."

"Okay, thank you," Olivia said before Lulu excused herself.

When she walked back into the kitchen, her phone was ringing, seeing it was Dante, she smiled, "Hey."

"Hey, how are things going with you and Ma?" he asked her.

"Great, she's getting settled in, and then we're heading over to Mom's to pick up Lexi and Tanner," Lulu explained.

"Okay, do you want to come over for dinner or are you kidnapping my mother for the duration of her time here?" Dante wondered.

"I'm not kidnapping her, I just thought it would be nice for Olivia to have a real place to sleep and I know that isn't feasible at your place," Lulu returned. "Plus I thought it would be nice to get to know your mom, isn't it a son's dream for his mom to approve of his girlfriend?"

"Of course it is and I appreciate you making the effort," Dante told her.

"It's not a big deal; your mom makes it easy to get along with her," Lulu replied as she started taking stuff from the grocery bags and placing them in their places.

"So would dinner at my place be feasible?" Dante asked again.

"That would be perfect, should I bring anything?" Lulu wondered.

"No, I have everything, but I might need a few extra pairs of hands in the kitchen if you would like to come over early and help out," Dante suggested.

"Yeah, we can do that," Lulu replied. "We'll just plan on coming over after we go to Mom's."

"Sounds perfect," Dante said before they said their goodbyes and hung up the phone.

As they stepped onto Laura's front porch, Olivia smiled, "This house is beautiful," she said. "All of the houses in this neighborhood are."

"Thank you, this is the house I grew up in for the most part," Lulu told her before opening the front door.

"Hi sweetheart," Laura said, walking into the living room when she heard the front door open.

"Hi," Lulu smiled before closing the door behind her and Olivia. "Mom, I'd like you to meet Dante's mom, Olivia; Olivia, this is my mom, Laura Spencer."

"Nice to meet you," they both spoke as Laura stepped forward to hug Olivia.

"Lulu has told me a lot about you, I couldn't wait to meet you myself," Olivia smiled.

"She speaks very highly of you, as well," Laura said. "Where are my manners, come in and sit down, can I get you anything to drink?"

"Actually, we can't stay that long, because we're supposed to be having dinner at Dante's," Lulu told her mother as they started into the living room area.

"That's too bad," Laura said.

"You could join us," Olivia suggested.

"I would, but I'm afraid I've already made plans," Laura told them.

"You did?" Lulu asked. "What, do you have a date?"

"No," Laura let out a laugh. "Nikolas and Nadine do though, so I'm going out to Wyndemere to spend some time with Spencer and Ray."

"Is it a special occasion?" Lulu wondered, afraid she had missed their anniversary, but then remembered it was back in February.

"No, they just wanted to have a night out since they don't get very many of those and since I don't get to spend a lot of time with Spencer and Ray, I offered to baby-sit," Laura explained.

Lulu looked at Olivia, "Nikolas is my brother," she said. "Mom can't stand that my brothers and I hire people to take care of our kids."

"I just think it's silly to spend money on people to keep them when they have a perfectly capable grandmother to take care of them," Laura added.

"But we want you to be able to enjoy your grandchildren, not have to raise them," Lulu replied.

"She's right," Olivia chimed in. "I have a friend who is raising her grandchildren, as much as I love Bridger and Mia, I wouldn't want to raise them."

"I guess you're right," Laura agreed. "I could use a little more time with them though."

"Speaking of your grandchildren…" Lulu said. "Where are they?"

"They're upstairs in the playroom watching a movie," Laura told her. "When you called to say you were coming soon, I went ahead and had them clean up so they would be ready."

Lulu stepped up the first few stairs, "Tanner, Lexi, come on, it's time to go," she raised her voice so they would hear her.

"Aw man," Tanner said as he started out of the play room.

"Can't we stay a little longer?" Lexi asked, stopping at the top of the stairs with her brother.

"I guess you could, but I'm going to Dante's, and the surprise I told you about is here," she replied

Neither of them hesitated as they bounded down the stairs. Lexi was first to see Olivia standing there with her grandmother, "Nonna!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around the woman.

Tanner followed, also giving her a hug, "Hi," he said.

"Hi," she laughed, putting an arm around each of them. "How are you?"

"Good," they both replied as Olivia kneeled down to eyelevel with them.

"Yeah? Are you having a good summer?" she asked

"Yeah, we got to go to the big water park with our t-ball team last week," Tanner told her, his eyes lighting up as he spoke.

"You did?" she asked with a smile. "That sounds like fun, maybe you can take me sometime."

"Are you staying in Port Charles?" Lexi wondered.

"Yes I am," Olivia replied. "As a matter of fact, I'm staying at your house."

"You are?" Tanner exclaimed.

"Forever?" Lexi added.

"No, not forever, but for a few days I'll be there," Olivia told them.

"Okay you two, give Grandma hugs and kisses, I promised Dante I would help him with dinner," Lulu told Tanner and Lexi.

"Bye Grandma," Tanner said as he hugged and kissed Laura. "I love you."

"I love you too," Laura replied.

Lexi put her arms around Laura, "I love you Grandma," she said

"I love you too sweet girl," Laura kissed Lexi on the forehead, then looked at Olivia. "Have Lulu get a hold of me, we should get together before you go back to the city."

"Yeah, that sounds great," Olivia agreed.

They said their final goodbyes before leaving and going to Dante's.

"Are you sure you don't need my help?" Olivia asked as she sat in the living room floor playing with a now very rambunctious 7-month-old Mia.

"No Ma, we're good," Dante replied from the kitchen where he was preparing chicken parmesan while Lulu prepared a salad.

"When did Mia start trying to crawl?" Olivia wondered as she watched her granddaughter.

"She's trying to crawl?" Lulu asked Dante in surprise, rushing out of the kitchen toward the living room. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, it's only like an army crawl," Olivia said.

"Yeah, she's been doing that for a couple of weeks, you've seen her do that," Dante added as he also exited the kitchen and stood next to Lulu as they all watched Mia.

"I thought I had really missed something important," Lulu placed her hand on her chest in relief.

"No, if she would have started crawling, you would have been the first to know," Dante laughed, putting an arm around her waist.

"Mama, come here!" Tanner exclaimed as he came running into the house from the back yard.

"What is it?" she asked as she and Dante followed Tanner out the back door.

"Lexi got hurt," he informed them, running over to where Lexi was curled into a ball on the concrete patio area, crying.

"Sweetie, what happened?" Lulu asked, kneeling next to her daughter.

"She fell off my bike," Bridger answered.

"Where does it hurt?" Lulu questioned her hysterical daughter.

"My hands…and m-my knee," Lexi replied through her gasps as tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

"Do you think you can walk in the house so we can get it cleaned up?" Lulu wondered.

"I'll get her," Dante said before they got an answer, reaching down and carefully picking Lexi up off the ground, cradling her in his arms.

"It's okay Lex," Lulu attempted to soothe the girl, brushing the hair from her tear-stained cheeks and noticing the scrapes on her hands and right leg.

Dante started into the house and noticed Tanner and Bridger following them, "You two stay out here, Lexi doesn't need you bothering her."

"What happened?" Olivia wondered as they came back into the house.

"She fell off the bike and skinned up her hands and leg," Lulu explained as Dante started down the hall.

"Lexi, you want to sit on the bed so we can get your hands and leg cleaned up?" He asked her when he walked into his bedroom, she just shook her head.

"What if Mommy holds you while Dante cleans your scrapes?" Lulu asked, receiving a nod in agreement.

She sat down on the edge of Dante's bed and he sat Lexi down on her lap, and then went to get what he would need to clean her scrapes.

When Lexi saw Dante come back into the room carrying a bottle of peroxide, some cotton balls and large bandages, her eyes went wide, "No, that stuff will hurt," she cried.

"I know, but your scrapes are dirty so we have to clean them," Dante told her.

"No!" she exclaimed

"Lexi, you know we have to clean it so you don't get sick," Lulu reminded her daughter.

"How about we make a deal?" he asked, but Lexi just stared at him. "If you be a big girl and let me clean these scrapes, I will take you to get ice cream."

"She likes snow cones better," Lulu whispered to him.

"Okay, I'll take you to get a snow cone," he replied, Lexi looked at him and smiled. "Do we have a deal?"

"Yeah," she answered quietly with a nod.

"Okay," Dante said as he knelt down, then opened the peroxide and put some on a cotton ball. "We're going to try to hurry so it won't hurt as bad, but you'll have to sit still."

When he started rubbing the scrapes on her leg with the cotton ball, Lexi let out a cry and reflexively kicked Dante in the chest a couple of times. Her achievement of best kicker on the soccer team didn't sound as great as it did when they praised her for it at the awards ceremony a few months earlier. He gently took Lexi's ankle to raise her leg so he could blow on the wound to soothe the sting.

By the time he was done cleaning her wounds and placing bandages over them, she had kicked him a couple more times, but it kept her from crying.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked her.

"Shouldn't you be asking yourself that?" Lulu laughed.

"I'm fine, it didn't hurt too badly," Dante said, lightly rubbing the place where Lexi had kicked him repeatedly.

"Tell Dante thank you for cleaning your scrapes," Lulu told her daughter.

"Thank you Dante," Lexi said.

"You're welcome…high five," Dante smiled at her, holding his hand up, she started to high five him, then looked at the bandages sadly, so Dante held up his index finger. "High one."

"High one," Lexi touched her finger to his as the three of them started to giggle.

"Are you going to go back outside to play with Tanner and Bridger?" Lulu asked as they stood up.

"Can I stay inside and play with Mia?" she wondered.

"I'm sure Olivia and Mia would like that," Lulu smiled.

Lexi took off down the hall toward the living room as Dante placed the peroxide and extra cotton balls and bandages he didn't use into the bathroom.

"Thank you for enduring the kicking and getting her cleaned up, if it would have been me, we would still be fighting over it," Lulu said as they started down the hallway toward the living room.

"Sometimes you just need a voice of reason," Dante replied, walking into the living room.

After they had dinner, Olivia insisted on cleaning up the kitchen with the help of Tanner, Bridger and Lexi, of course.

"You didn't have to do that Olivia, you're the guest, we're more than happy to be taking care of you," Lulu said as Tanner put the last plate into the dishwasher.

"I know, but you two worked hard on dinner, it's the least I could do," Olivia replied. "Besides, I like getting to spend time with the kids."

"Well, I think it's about time to start getting kids ready for bed since we have a big day tomorrow and it's already almost 9," Dante said as he looked at his watch.

"You're right," Lulu agreed. "Is there anything else we can do before we leave?"

"No, I think we're good," Dante answered.

After saying their goodbyes, Lulu and Olivia took Tanner and Lexi back to the house to get ready for bed as Dante did the same with Bridger and Mia.

The following day was the big 4th of July festival. The day started off with a 5k run and a craft show, then the carnival started and different musical acts began on three separate stages. There was something for everyone and it seemed the whole town was there.

A VIP tent had been sectioned off for GH, Metro Court and Crimson employees where they had barbeque and all the sides. Lulu, Maxie and Carly had made sure to rope off a prime spot for their families to view fireworks where they also had the same catering.

After riding carnival rides for more of the afternoon and into the evening with Dante, Lulu and the kids, including Josslyn, they headed back to get something to eat.

When they got there, Olivia was talking with Laura at a table while Carly was on a blanket nearby playing with Mia.

"Hey, I'm glad you made it, did you have any problems finding it?" Lulu said to Olivia.

"No, your directions were great, thank you," Olivia replied

"Dante, this little girl is just too precious for words," Carly told him.

"Thank you," Dante replied.

"Makes you want another one, huh?" Lulu asked her

"Oh no, my three are enough," Carly said.

"Yeah, but Morgan is about to graduate and Michael is in studying abroad in Barcelona, and Joss will be out of the house before you know it too," Lulu reminded her.

"Don't start with me on that," Carly said, feigning sadness.

"Speaking of Michael, aren't he and Kristina in from Barcelona for a few weeks?" Lulu asked

"Yeah, we picked them up late last night at the airport, he and Morgan were still asleep when I left this morning," Carly explained. "But they should be here soon; I think Molly and Kristina are coming with them."

"Are you talking about us?" Kristina asked as they walked up.

"Yeah, we were actually," Carly smiled at the four of them.

"Hi," Lulu smiled as she hugged Kristina, then Michael. "It's so good to have you home."

"It's good to be home," Michael told her.

"Yeah, Barcelona is a beautiful city, but sometimes it's just great to be at home," Kristina added.

"Mama, I'm hungry," Josslyn told Carly.

"Come on Joss, I'm hungry too, I'll help you get a plate," Molly said.

"Are you sure Molly?" Carly asked

"Yeah, I got it covered," Molly replied, then looked to the other kids. "Come on, you guys can come too."

"You might as well get you something to eat too," Lulu told Michael, Morgan and Kristina.

"I'm not that hungry, I had a late lunch with a friend," Kristina said, but Michael and Morgan followed Molly and the rest of the kids.

"As long as you eat later, I don't want your mom to think we're starving you," Carly said.

"I will," Kristina assured her, and then looked to Mia before sitting down on the blanket with her and Carly. "Who is this beautiful little girl?"

"This is Mia," Carly replied.

"She belongs to Dante," Lulu added.

"Molly said something about you dating someone," Kristina said to Lulu, then looked to Dante. "It's nice to meet you; I'm Carly's sons' sister."

"It's nice to meet you too," Dante replied, and then looked to Lulu. "I think I'm going to go get me something to eat too before the kids eat it all."

"I'll go with you, running around with the kids all day has made me hungry," Lulu added.

Olivia had joined them to get food as well, but as they were going to sit back down at the table, they heard Morgan say "Dad!"

If she hadn't been about to sit her plate on the table, she would have dropped it when she looked up and saw Sonny Corinthos standing less than 10 feet from her.

She watched as Sonny hugged the four young adults who had come in earlier and began conversing with them. She tried to pretend as if nothing was wrong and sat down with Lulu and Dante to eat dinner in peace.

Luckily, no one had noticed how nervous she had become while eating dinner, but as she was going to throw the plates in the trash, she felt someone grab her arm lightly.

"Olivia Falconeri," Sonny smiled. "I thought that was you. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here visiting my son," Olivia admitted.

"Your son?" He questioned, looking around before his eyes landed on Dante who was playing football with Tanner, Bridger, Michael and Morgan. "Dante's your son…I knew he was Connie's cousin, but I had no idea he was _your_ son."

"Yeah, he's my son," she replied.

There was an awkward silence and Olivia could see the wheels turning in Sonny's head. She knew he was piecing everything together as he watching the boys playing football.

"Excuse me," she said, turning to walk away quickly from where everyone was, but she ran into Laura who had gone to her car to get something.

"You're not leaving are you?" Laura asked

"I need to run to Lulu's real quick, but I'll be right back," Olivia answered

"Okay, hurry back, it's almost dark and they'll be starting fireworks soon," Laura reminded her.

Olivia quickly got in his car and started driving. She had no idea where she was going, but knew she needed a drink.

Fate must have been on her side because she ended up at a small bar close to the outskirts of town.

Back at the festival, it was almost dark, signaling time for fireworks.

"Mom, have you seen Olivia?" Lulu asked as she sat down on the blanket with Laura and Mia.

"Not since she left to go back to your house," Laura replied, picking up the toy Mia had thrown.

"My house, is she coming back?" Lulu questioned

"She said she would be right back," Laura told her. "You didn't know?"

"No, how long ago was that?" Lulu wondered.

"Probably around an hour ago," Laura answered.

Lulu walked over and pulled Dante away from the soccer match that had taken place after the game of football.

"Your mom left," she told him.

"I'm sure she just went to her car or something, she'll be right back," Dante assured Lulu.

"No, I haven't seen her in probably over an hour and Mom just told me she said she was going to run back to the house and she would be right back," Lulu said in a panicked tone.

Dante put his hands on her shoulders in an effort to calm her down, "I'm sure she's fine," he said, pulling out his cell phone. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll give her a call."

Lulu nodded, then glanced around, her eyes landed on Sonny, "Oh no."

"What?" He wondered what she was worrying about now as he whirled around to see what had her so concerned.

"Your mom, she kept telling me that she didn't want to see Sonny, I didn't think he was going to be here and I guess I was too caught up in everything else that I didn't even notice he was here," Lulu explained

"Why?" Dante wondered.

"I don't know, I figured it was because of the whole Kate thing," she told him.

"Maybe so," Dante said as Olivia answered the phone. "Ma, where are you?"

"I'm at this little place called Jake's," Olivia said, Dante could tell she had been drinking. "I decided I wasn't in as much of a partying mood as I had thought."

"Do you need me to come get you?" Dante asked

"No, you and Lulu enjoy your first Fourth of July together and you can stop by and pick me up on your way home," Olivia insisted before taking a sip of her drink.

"Are you sure?" He questioned

"Yes, you have fun," Olivia replied

"Okay, if you need me, call me," Dante told her before they said their goodbyes and hung up.

Olivia knew she had been there for awhile and with it being the Fourth of July, not a lot of people were inside of any establishment, especially Jake's. So when she heard the front door open, she assumed it was Dante, so she began to stand, but quickly felt the room start to spin, then felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her, sitting her down in one of the chairs.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded when she saw it was Sonny, not Dante, who was helping her. "How did you know I was here?"

"I had one of my men follow you to make sure you were okay," Sonny confessed.

"Of course you did," Olivia scoffed, rolling her eyes as Sonny sat down in a chair next to her.

"Dante's my son, isn't he?" Sonny asked bluntly.

Olivia had never been able to lie to Sonny's face because he could always tell when she wasn't telling the truth. She thought she could at least give it a shot.

"N-no, he's not," Olivia answered.

"Don't lie to me Olivia," Sonny said sternly.

"Okay fine…he's your son!" She exclaimed. "Are you happy?"

She stood a little slower this time before walking out of the bar, but Sonny was close behind her and stopped her, "How could you do this to me?" he asked

"Because I had to do what was best for my son, I had to protect him," Olivia said.

"You know I would have never hurt him," Sonny retorted.

"Maybe not you, but your lifestyle would have hurt him, Sonny!" She exclaimed. "That wasn't what I wanted for him."

"What's going on?" Dante asked as he got out of his truck.

Sonny and Olivia had been so caught up in their argument that they hadn't even noticed his and Lulu's vehicles pull into the parking lot.

"Well, you're going to find out sooner or later…" Olivia began. "This is your father, Sonny Corinthos."

Dante's jaw dropped. His father was Port Charles' own top mob boss.

_Let me know what you think. This should get interesting after this!_


	14. Confessions & Apologies

_So this chapter is once again belated. And it is so far from what I had planned for Chapter 14 that I just moved everything back a chapter. However, it's full of fluff and I think you will enjoy it. At least I hope you will._

**Chapter 14 – Confessions & Apologies**

"I can't believe he's my _father_," Dante repeated for the umpteenth time to Lulu as she came down the stairs and saw him pacing in the living room.

Since Dante was having a meltdown and Olivia was drunk and needed to go to bed, they went back to Lulu's. Lulu helped Olivia into bed since Dante was too angry to even look at her. Meanwhile, Dante had put up the pop-up Spiderman tent in Tanner's room, where the boys would be sleeping for the night.

Lulu tucked Lexi into bed and made sure the boys were being quiet before going into her own room to check on Mia, who was asleep on her bed and check that the baby monitor was on before going back downstairs.

"You want something to drink?" she asked

"A beer would be nice," he said.

"Oh no, I'm not going to let you drink your sorrows away too, especially since you have to be at work at 7 in the morning," Lulu shook her head, walking toward the kitchen. "I made some tea."

Dante sat down on the couch and sighed. When Lulu came back in with two cups of hot tea, she handed one to Dante, "Thanks," he said

"So…he's your father," she stated what he had been repeating since they left Jake's.

"Yeah," he nodded with a blank stare on his face.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, rubbing his shoulder.

"A million different things," he admitted. "Let's start with how my mom could keep this from me and tell me all my life she didn't know who my father was when she really did. And then the obvious fact that Sonny Corinthos, Port Charles' top mob boss, is the father of a cop."

"What are you going to do?" Lulu wondered.

"There isn't much I can do," Dante said.

"Yeah, but Sonny's all about family," she sat her cup of tea on the end table next to the couch. "He's going to want to get to know you and Bridger and Mia."

"Well, I guess it can't hurt to be civil," Dante replied. "I just can't let it interfere with my job."

"He's going to want you to quit your job and go to work for him," she informed him.

"That's never going to happen," he assured her.

"I know," she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I still can't believe my mom lied to me about this," he said. "That's why she never wanted to visit."

"And why she didn't want to see Sonny at the party," Lulu added, there was a brief silence before she spoke again. "Don't hold this against her Dante…I'm sure she was just trying to do what was best for you."

"Growing up without a father is what was best for me?" He questioned incredulously.

"No, but you haven't known Sonny as long as I have, he loves his kids, but he's not the safest person to have children around because of his line of work," Lulu said honestly.

"Your husband was in the same line of work and you still chose to have him in your kids' lives," he pointed out.

"But that was my choice," Lulu countered, looking back to him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I had my doubts and I can see why Olivia kept it a secret, she probably went through the same thought process I did when I found out I was pregnant. So at the time, I'm sure she made the best decision she could to protect you."

"But she could have at least told me when I was older so I could make the decision on my own," Dante said.

"You've got a point there," Lulu replied. "But don't be too hard on her."

"Too late, I let her have it on the way home," Dante admitted, looking down at his hands in his lap.

Lulu could tell he felt remorseful over yelling at his mom, "I'm sure she won't even remember it in the morning," she took his hand in hers.

"I doubt she'll ever forget some of the things I said to her," Dante said, still not making eye contact with Lulu.

"Well, there's no use in dwelling on it now; if you feel bad about it, apologize to her tomorrow," Lulu told him, he leaned over and kissed her. "What was that for?"

"For being my voice of reason and talking through my problems with me," he told her. "And I know I've never said it before, not because I didn't think it, but because I wasn't sure how you would react and I didn't want you to feel pressured, but I love you, Lulu."

Lulu swore her heart stopped the moment those words passed his lips, "What?" she murmured.

"I love you," he repeated. "You don't have to say it back or anything—"

"I love you too," her facial expression turned into a wide smile. "I just wanted to hear you say it again."

"I love you," he said again before pulling her into another kiss. "I'll say it as many times as you want."

"Good, because I want to hear it a lot," she was still smiling, as was he.

"You're sure you aren't just saying that because I did?" He questioned.

"Dante, if I didn't mean it, I wouldn't have said it," Lulu told him. "I've felt that way for awhile, I guess I just needed to hear you say it before I had the guts to."

"Well, I'm glad I spoke up then," Dante said as he noticed Lulu yawn. "We've had a busy day; I should let you get some sleep."

"I hate to let you go," Lulu confessed. "But if I'm going to be keeping up with kids tomorrow, I need to get in bed soon, it's after midnight."

"Really?" he asked, turning to look at the clock. "I should probably get Mia and head home if I'm going to be of any use at work tomorrow."

"Since Mia is staying with us tomorrow, you could just leave her here, that way you don't have to worry about getting up that much earlier to bring her by," Lulu suggested.

"Are you sure?" He questioned

"Yeah, all of her stuff is already here…she can snuggle with me," Lulu grinned, knowing that between herself, her mom and now Olivia, Mia had been getting too much snuggle time in.

"Okay," he agreed as they both got up off the couch.

"Call me tomorrow and let me know what time your lunch break is and we can try to meet for lunch," she told him, walking him to the door.

"Sounds good," he replied before leaning in to kiss her.

"I love you," she told him.

"I love you too," he said with a smile before walking out the door.

When Lulu woke up the next morning, she opened her eyes to find Mia still asleep and cuddled up next to her. She had remembered getting up around 5 to give Mia a bottle and change her diaper, but that seemed like hours ago.

She looked over to the clock on table next to the bed, it read 10:15. But the house was quiet, meaning the kids were either still in bed or not in the house. So she got up and went into the bathroom.

When she came out a few minutes later, Mia was awake and cooing at the ceiling fan that was slowly spinning around in circles.

"You slept a long time, Mia," Lulu said as she leaned over the smiling baby. "We should probably get downstairs and make sure the big kids haven't tied your Nonna to a chair."

When Lulu got downstairs, she didn't see any of the kids, nor Olivia, but could faintly smell breakfast. So she started for the kitchen, but no one was there either. Instead, the dishwasher was running, she had hoped it actually had dishes in it, as opposed to one of the kids turning it on for fun.

She turned to leave the kitchen, but saw the three older kids in the swimming pool with Olivia.

"We were wondering when you were going to get up," Olivia said as Lulu stepped out of the back door.

"Yeah, I figured one of the kids would wake me up, so I didn't set an alarm," Lulu told her, stepping through the gate of the fence that surrounded the pool.

"I thought after being so busy yesterday and then having to deal with the mess I caused, the least I could do was let you sleep in," Olivia said.

"Well thank you, and even though you didn't have to, I appreciate that," Lulu replied.

"I made bacon, eggs and toast for the kids, I can fix you something for you if you'd like," Olivia swam over to the edge of the pool.

"That's okay, we're probably going to go meet Dante for lunch here in awhile anyway," Lulu replied

"How mad was Dante last night?" Olivia wondered.

"He was pretty upset," Lulu admitted. "He told me he yelled at you."

"I think that would be an understatement," Olivia said. "Not that I didn't deserve it, because it was much deserved, I just didn't expect him to blow up at me like that."

"He was upset about that too," Lulu took a seat on the edge of one of the lounge chairs.

"Mom, are you going to swim with us?" Tanner asked

"Actually, we might be going out to lunch here in a little while, I have to call Dante and see what the plan is," Lulu told him.

"Okay," he said excitedly.

"I'm going to go do that right now actually," Lulu stood up. "I'll be right back."

"You want me to take her?" Olivia asked about Mia.

"No, I'm going to change her and feed her," Lulu said.

After Lulu got Mia changed, she came back downstairs and placed Mia in her exersaucer before going into the kitchen and mixing up baby cereal, then sat down to feed her before calling Dante. "Hey, I guess the kids haven't tied you and Ma up and burnt the house down since I haven't been called out," Dante answered.

"No, your mom actually let me sleep in with Mia," Lulu told him. "She and the kids are out in the pool right now."

"How late did Mia sleep?" Dante wondered.

"Until about 15 minutes ago," she replied, giving Mia a bite.

"Wow, I should let her stay with you more often if you can get her to sleep that long," he said.

"It's because her daddy makes her sleep by herself, she doesn't like that," Lulu teased, talking to Mia, who smiled and began squirming around in delight. "So do you have time to meet us for lunch?"

"Yeah, but I was going to see if you might want to do a quick lunch at Kelly's, then let me take Lexi to get that snow cone I promised," he suggested.

"What about me?" Lulu feigned disappointment. "I'm the one who had to hold her down."

"Of course you can go with us," Dante smiled.

"The boys are going to be jealous, you know," she reminded him.

"Well, I promised Lexi and I want her to know I keep my promises and let her be in the spotlight for awhile," he replied. "She spends most of her time doing things the boys like doing, so I thought it would be nice to let her get away from them for awhile."

"How thoughtful of you," Lulu teased. "What time do you want us to meet you?"

"My lunch break is at noon," Dante told her. "And tell Ma to come too."

"Okay, I better go then so I can get the kids out of the pool," she replied

"I'll see you later, I love you," Dante told her.

Lulu's breath caught in her throat, she loved hearing him say that, but it still caught her off guard, "I love you too," she smiled before they ended their call.

When they walked into Kelly's a little over an hour later, Lulu breathed a sigh of relief. Getting the kids out of the pool and ready to go in a short amount of time wasn't easy, especially when she and Olivia had to get ready themselves. Then when Dante called to see if they could go early to get a table and go ahead and order, Lulu had to rush even more.

"Are you sure he wanted me here too?" Olivia asked Lulu.

"Yes, he specifically said to tell you to come," Lulu assured her.

After they ordered, Olivia took some baby food out of Mia's diaper bag to feed her.

"Mama, can we have some money for the jukebox?" Lexi questioned

"Yeah, let me find some," Lulu said as she began digging through her purse to find some change.

After Lulu searched through her purse for a few moments, Lexi became impatient, "If you have dollars, Sydney can give us quarters," she said of the waitress.

"Okay, here," Lulu said, pulling 2 one-dollar bills out of her wallet, but before handing the money over, she stopped the kids. "Sydney's going to give you 8 quarters, each of you will get two and you'll bring me two back, okay?"

"Okay," Lexi nodded before she, Bridger and Tanner took off toward the counter as Dante walked in the door.

"Hey Dad," Bridger said quickly before running off.

"Hey son," he replied as Lulu stood to greet him with a brief kiss. "Hi,"

"Hi," Lulu smiled before allowing him to press another quick kiss to her lips. "How's your day been?"

"Busy, but nothing too hectic," he replied, leaning down to kiss Mia's head, careful not to mess up the small bow that held her bangs back, she looked up at him with a messy face. "Is your lunch good?"

"Here's your two quarters, Mama," Lexi said as they walked back over to the table and she handed the quarters to Lulu.

"Thank you," Lulu replied, placing the quarters on the table.

Dante walked around the table to take a seat, "Thanks Ma for letting Lulu sleep in this morning," he told Olivia.

"Well, I think she deserved it after everything that happened last night," Olivia admitted.

"About that…" he began. "I'm sorry for lashing out, I realize now that you kept it from me to protect me and even though I am not ready to forget, I am ready to forgive and apologize for the things I said to you last night."

"Well, I know there are a lot of things I could have done differently and I probably deserved a lot of the things that you said to me, but I don't regret keeping my secret, I know growing up without a father wasn't easy for you, but I believe with all my heart that it is what was best for you," Olivia replied, she reached over and ran her hand over his shoulder. "I'm just sorry it had to hurt you in the process."

"Don't worry about it Ma, there's no use in dwelling now," Dante said, turning to and taking her hand. "At least that's what a wise woman once told me."

"You make me sound old," Lulu laughed.

"I said wise, not old, there is a very big difference," Dante pointed out.

"I didn't tell Lexi about your plan yet, I thought it might be best if we wait until we get ready to leave," Lulu said. "I'm just afraid she'll be mean to the boys about it."

"Good idea," Dante agreed as the kids came back to the table and took their seats.

"Did you pick out some good songs?" Lulu asked

"Yeah," Tanner replied.

After lunch, they walked out to the parking lot, Lulu put the car seat into the base as Dante placed the stroller in the back, and then Lulu handed the keys over to Olivia. Meanwhile, Bridger, Tanner and Lexi had already got into the SUV.

"Are you sure this isn't going to be a problem?" Lulu wondered. "I can send her with Dante and come home with you."

"Not at all, you go and have fun," Olivia replied.

"Lexi, come on, you're going with me and Dante," Lulu said.

"Am I in trouble?" Lexi wondered.

"No, you're not in trouble," Lulu laughed, and then looked to Tanner and Bridger. "You two be good, I'll be home in a little bit, don't be causing trouble."

"We won't," Tanner replied

"See you later Ma," Dante said to Olivia.

"Bye honey," Olivia replied, "Have fun Lexi."

"Okay,"

Lexi climbed into the backseat of Dante's truck as Lulu and Dante got in front. "Where are we going?" Lexi wondered, clicking her seatbelt.

"Well, remember the other day when I made a promise to you?" Dante asked, putting on his seatbelt before pulling out of the parking lot.

"We're going to get snow cones?" She squealed.

"I don't break promises, Lexi," Dante told her, glancing back at her with a smile.

They sat outside of the snow cone stand in the grocery store parking lot, letting Lexi talk their ears off. Dante had been around this little girl for the last six months and he hadn't seen her as social as she was today. Her personality really came out when she was the center of attention and he was glad he had made a point to give Lexi this time without Tanner and Bridger.

Dante loved his son and Tanner too, but Lexi could probably ask for anything and he would do anything to make sure she got it. Spending time with her made him anxious to see what Mia would be like when she was Lexi's age. He hoped Lexi would have an influence on his daughter. And it was at that moment he realized he saw Lulu and her children in his life for a long time. Or at least, he hoped they would be.

"Daaaannteeee," Lexi wailed to get his attention.

When he finally came out of his thoughts, Lexi and Lulu were both laughing at him.

"You were somewhere far away," Lexi told him.

"I was just thinking," Dante smiled.

"Well, we should probably get going if you're going to be back to the station on time," Lulu told him

"Then let's go," Dante replied

He walked them to the front door, but before Lexi went in the house, she turned and threw her arms around Dante, "Thank you for taking me to get a snow cone, it was fun," she said.

"You're welcome kiddo," Dante told her, hugging her back.

He glanced at Lulu who had a wide smile on her face, Lexi released her hold on Dante and went for the door, "Bye," she said before disappearing into the house.

"I would say your little outing was a success," Lulu told him, placing her arms around his neck.

"I'm glad Lexi had a good time, she surprised me, I didn't think she ever talked that much," he replied, snaking his arms around her waist.

"I had a good time too," Lulu revealed.

"Really?" he asked, leaning in to kiss her.

"Mmhmm," she mumbled in between kisses. "We'll have to go again sometime, maybe without the kids."

"If you two need some alone time, I can keep stay here with the kids," Olivia said as she appeared in the doorway.

Dante and Lulu both jumped upon hearing her voice, "You scared me," Lulu put her hand on her chest.

"Sorry, I just saw Lexi left the door opened, I didn't know you two were out here," Olivia said honestly. "But really, if you two need to be alone, the kids and I are fine here."

"I have to get back to work Ma, but thank you," Dante told her, feeling like a teenager who was caught making out with his girlfriend just before curfew.

Lulu let out a giggle, noticing Olivia's amusement, "She's just trying to be considerate," she said.

"I'm glad you find this amusing," Dante replied, trying to hide a smile.

"Go to work," Lulu lightly smacked his arm.

"Bye," he said before quickly kissing her on the cheek. "I love you."

"Love you too," she replied as he started off the porch.

"Bye honey," Olivia exclaimed to her son.

"Goodbye Ma," Dante replied without turning around as he walked to his truck.


	15. Family Dinner

_Here ya go. I ended up shuffling a little of out outline/timeline to give you this. I was going to have a bunch of stuff in this chapter, but I realized it was going to be too long and you would have to wait a lot longer to get a chapter. However, I am confident with what I am giving you, I gave it a lot of thought so it wouldn't seem like it was half finished. I hope you enjoy :)_

**Chapter 15**

_Lulu was running through a wooded area. Why, she wasn't sure, but she knew she was supposed to be running. Was there something or someone chasing her? She looked back, but saw nothing but darkness._

_It was then that she felt her body come to a complete halt and she realized she had no control over her what was happening. She looked forward and found that she was in a place she never liked being. It was the place she had to say goodbye to Johnny…on the side of the road in the rain._

_She heard a car coming and was going to flag it down, but when it came into view, she saw it was the black SUV similar to the one Johnny had been driving that night and her stomach dropped. When it started around the curve, she screamed, knowing he had taken the curve too fast, but by this time, all the brake fluid had slowly leaked where one of their enemies had cut the lines, causing him to lose control, flipping the SUV._

_A part of her wanted to look, but since she couldn't control her actions, she was forced to turn away as she heard the tires screech, then the shattering of glass and crunch of the metal before complete silence._

"_NO!" she screamed, running toward the smashed vehicle._

_She didn't want to relive this again. She had been in therapy since the accident and hadn't had a nightmare in almost a year._

_When she got to the wrecked SUV, she looked inside, but was shocked to find, not Johnny, but Dante pinned in the driver's seat covered in blood._

"_DANTE!" she cried._

"_Lulu," he said in an almost inaudible tone._

"Lulu," he repeated, shaking her gently.

"Dante," she said, this time in a calmer tone.

"Baby, wake up," he spoke softly as her eyes fluttered open.

"You're here," she replied, throwing her arms around him as she became more aware of her surroundings.

"Yeah I'm here, I wouldn't leave without telling you goodbye," he told her as she released her grasp on him. "You want to tell me what that dream was about?"

"It was nothing, we were in the woods and I got lost and couldn't find you," she lied, not wanting to tell him what was really bothering her.

"That sure was a scream for just not being able to find someone," he stated.

"It was dark and I was scared," she replied, trying to play it off as he placed an arm around her and she rested her head on his chest. "So how much of this movie did I miss?"

"Over half of it, it's already over," Dante told her.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep," she said, pulling the quilt back over her. "You should have woke me up."

"Don't worry about it; I know you haven't been sleeping well lately," he replied. "So I figured I would let you sleep."

He was right, she hadn't been sleeping well at night, but he didn't know the whole story. She had only told him she wasn't sleeping well, but Lulu had been having this nightmare or one similar almost every time she went to sleep. In each dream, Dante was on the brink of death.

The had started the night Olivia had gone back to Bensonhurst a few nights after the secret came out about Sonny being Dante's father. The thought of that hadn't really bothered her until she had that first dream.

That was nearly three weeks ago, so Lulu had scheduled an appointment with Lainey in hopes of getting rid of the nightmares. She was prescribed medicine to help her sleep and Lainey recommended they start back with their weekly appointments like they had done after Johnny passed away. She wasn't sure if it was a sign of things to come or if she was just afraid of losing him, but she was ready to be rid of the nightmares.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, noticing the distraught look on her face.

"Yeah, that dream just scared me, is all," she said, shaking her thoughts.

"Are you sure that's it?" He wondered. "I heard you get up a lot last night."

Dante, Bridger and Mia had stayed the previous night and were staying tonight with Lulu because their house was being fumigated.

"Yeah, like you said, I've been having trouble sleeping, last night wasn't a good night," she said, wanting to change the subject. "What are your plans for your day off tomorrow?"

"Well, I told Sonny I would bring Bridger and Mia by to meet him," Dante replied.

"Oh that will be nice, they'll like that," Lulu commented.

"I'm not so sure about that," Dante sighed.

"No, he's great with kids, Lexi and Tanner love him," Lulu said, sitting up to look at him

"I hope Bridger and Mia feel the same way," Dante replied.

"You don't sound too happy about it," Lulu stated.

"I don't know, this whole situation is weird," he admitted. "I'd rather my children not get caught up in the mess, but I think he deserves a chance to get to know his grandchildren."

"Have you met Michael, Morgan and Kristina—I mean, other than on the 4th of July?" Lulu wondered.

"No, Sonny said he told them, but I haven't seen any of them since that night," he explained.

"They're good kids," Lulu replied with a yawn.

"I think it's bedtime," Dante told her.

"Me too," Lulu agreed as they got up off the couch.

"You want me to sit with you until you fall asleep?" Dante asked.

"I'd like that," she smiled.

Lulu was thankful he had offered to sit with her because she felt more at ease with him there. Her nightmares had made her paranoid.

"I'm going to check on Mia first," Dante told her.

"Okay," Lulu said, before going toward her room.

A little while later, Dante was watching the TV on mute with his arms around a sleeping Lulu. He had wanted to make sure she was sleeping well before he moved. He started to pull his arm out from under her, but she woke up.

"Dante," she mumbled.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Will you stay in here with me tonight?" she asked

"Are you sure about that?" he countered, afraid she wasn't aware of what she was asking.

"Yeah, I feel better when you're here with me," she said.

"O-okay," he agreed. "I'm going to go check on Mia and change out of my jeans."

He came back into the room a few minutes later and got in bed with Lulu, making sure the baby monitor was on next to the bed.

"Thank you," she said, snuggling up next to him.

"For what?" he wondered as they both got comfortable.

"For staying in here with me tonight," she said. "I know it can't be easy for you to not be having sex."

"What?" he looked at her in shock, they had talked about sex, but this time it came out of nowhere.

"Well, I mean, I know we said we would wait until we're both ready…but Dante, I know you want to," she said. "And being here doesn't make it any easier on you."

"No, it doesn't," he laughed. "But Lulu, I told you, I will wait as long as you need me to wait."

"I know, I just hate making you wait," Lulu replied.

"You're not making me do anything, I want to wait, I just want to make you happy," Dante said. "I know losing the person you thought you'd spend the rest of your life with is not an easy thing to overcome, it's something that was easier for me than it is for you…everyone handles things differently."

"You're amazing, you know that?" she smiled at him.

"I know," he answered, causing her to laugh. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said before they both drifted off to sleep.

The next morning after dropping off Lexi and Tanner, Lulu walked off the elevator into the Crimson offices.

"There you are, I figured with Dante staying over you wouldn't even bother coming in," Maxie said.

"Just because Dante is staying at my house doesn't mean we can't have separate lives," Lulu said as she took the portfolios that one of her assistants handed her.

"I know, I guess I just figured the two of you would be in bed all day enjoying each other's company," Maxie said, following Lulu into her office.

"Maxie, one day you will have children and you will realize you don't have that luxury," Lulu told her sarcastically as she sat down at her desk. "But for your information, Dante and I have not had sex."

"You're lying," Maxie said, Lulu shook her head in response. "You've been dating for six months."

"And it's taken me five years to find a man I'm comfortable to be in a relationship with Maxie, I'm not just going to jump in bed with him," Lulu said, realizing she shared a bed with him the night before. "Not in that sense, at least."

"You let him sleep in your bed?" Maxie questioned, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of Lulu's desk. "And he wasn't weirded out?"

"No, he knows that I redid that whole room after Johnny passed away," Lulu said.

"So who suggested he sleep in your bed?" She asked

"I did," Lulu answered honestly, then paused. "I had another one of those nightmares last night."

"Did you tell him about it?" Maxie wondered, again Lulu shook her head. "I think you should tell him, it might help the situation."

"Or he'll think I'm crazy," Lulu added.

"So what is he doing today?" Maxie asked

"He's taking Bridger and Mia to meet Sonny," Lulu told her.

"That should be interesting," Maxie replied

"I think it will be good for them," Lulu said.

At least she hoped it would be, it could also be a death sentence, she knew that better than anyone. As harsh as it sounded, she had to be honest with herself, but she didn't have the right to keep Dante or his children away from Sonny.

Later that afternoon, Dante pulled up to the gate, rolling his window down and pressing the call button for the gate. After the gate opened, Dante started up the driveway.

"Whose house is this Daddy?" Bridger asked.

"Well, his name is Sonny Corinthos," Dante said, pulling up in front of the house and coming to a stop. "But I want you to meet him before I tell you about him."

"Okay," Bridger replied as he unhooked his seatbelt.

Dante took Mia out of her car seat and straightened out the outfit Lulu had picked out for her to wear, then took Bridger's hand as he came around the other side of the vehicle.

After being greeted at the door by Milo, he led them into the living room where Sonny stood up upon seeing them.

"Hey, thanks for coming by," Sonny said, looking from Mia to Bridger. "So these are the kids?"

"Yeah, these are my kids," Dante answered. "This is Mia and Bridger…Bridger, I want you to meet Sonny Corinthos, he's my dad, so that makes him your grandfather."

"Really?" Bridger's eyes widened.

"Yeah, really," Sonny replied.

"Cool!" Bridger exclaimed.

"Have a seat," Sonny told Dante and Bridger. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, we're good, thanks," Dante replied.

"I'm glad you stopped by," Sonny said as he sat down in the armchair.

"Mr. C, Kristina is here to see you," Milo said, opening the door from the foyer.

"Let her in," Sonny stood back up to greet his daughter.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Kristina said. "I just wanted to see what ingredients you had for the tiramisu tonight, I was about to run to the grocery store, so I'll check and then be out of your hair."

"Actually," Sonny began, ushering her toward the couch. "I want you to meet your brother."

"We already met on the 4th of July," Kristina told him. "Dante, right?"

"Yeah," Dante said, shaking her hand as he was unsure of how to greet her. "It's good to see you again. You remember my kids, Bridger and Mia."

"Yes, they're beautiful," Kristina said, seeing Bridger eyeing her, she smiled. "And handsome."

"Thank you," Dante replied.

"Are you coming to dinner tonight?" Kristina asked Dante.

"Michael, Morgan, Kristina and her sister Molly are all going to be here for dinner tonight, I had hoped you might like to join us," Sonny added. "Of course Lulu and her children are invited as well and if you can't, I understand, it is short notice."

"Please say yes, I would love to spend some time with you guys before I go back to Princeton," Kristina said

"Sure…we'll be here," Dante replied.

"And you're going to ask Lulu too, right?" Kristina wondered.

"Yeah, I'll ask her," Dante assured her.

Kristina smiled at Mia, who was eyeing her carefully, "Hi pretty girl," she said, gently grabbing Mia's hand, causing Mia to smile. She stepped around Dante and knelt down to Bridger's eyelevel, "You're Bridger, right?"

"Yep," Bridger answered.

"You can call me Aunt Krissy," Kristina smiled at him.

"Okay," Bridger replied, then leaned in to whisper to her as he pointed to Sonny. "What do I call him?"

Kristina looked to her father, "You can call him Old Man," she answered as she and Bridger began to giggle.

"What do you want to call me?" Sonny asked him. "You can call me Sonny or Papa or Grandpa, the list goes on."

"I like Grandpa," Bridger said.

"Okay then, Grandpa it is," Sonny replied with a smile.

"Do you want to go help me find some stuff in the kitchen?" Kristina asked Bridger, who nodded in return.

"So how's work been going?" Sonny asked as he and Dante sat back down after Kristina and Bridger disappeared into the kitchen.

"Come on, Sonny…you know you didn't invite me over to talk about my job," Dante said.

"Actually I did," Sonny replied. "I want you to know that if you ever decide to quit the police force, you have a job here in my organization."

"I appreciate the offer, but I would never, in a million years, work for you," Dante said.

"I had a feeling you would say that, but it never hurts to put the offer on the table," Sonny shrugged. "But if you ever get fed up with the system, let me know."

Later that night as Lulu and Dante were pulling up to the Corinthos Estate, Lulu was still in shock over the conversation they began when they left her house.

"I can't believe he would ask you to quit your job as a cop to work for him in a world of crime," she said. "I mean, I can…but for him to actually think you would consider it, he's crazy."

"Well, feel free to yell at him any other time, because after he and I got into it at the house about the whole thing, we promised Kristina that tonight we would be civil," Dante told her

"I can be civil," Lulu nodded before getting out of the vehicle.

But in all reality, she wanted to do bodily harm to Sonny. There was no way in hell she was going to lose someone else she loved because of the world Sonny lived in.

She had put a lot of distance between herself and that world after Johnny passed away to make a safe environment for her children, even though she knew the danger would always be there because of their tie to Johnny, but the distance made her feel safer.

But now, it was a whole new ballgame, she loved Dante more than she ever thought she would be able to love a man again. And then he just had to be the son of one of New York's biggest mobsters.

"You okay?" Dante wondered, placing his free hand on the small of her back.

Lulu smiled at him lovingly, "Yeah, just have a lot on my mind with work and everything," she said, which was true, but not why she had zoned out for a moment.

"If you need to get stuff done, we don't have to stay," Dante told her as they started toward the house, with Bridger, Tanner and Lexi already at the front door ringing the doorbell.

"No, I want to stay," she replied, placing her hand in his, but Mia leaned across Dante wanting Lulu to take her, so she did. "It will be good for you to get to know your siblings, even if you can't have a relationship with your dad."

"Hey, I'm glad you could make it," Kristina said to Dante and Lulu as they got to the front door, both of them hugging her before going in the house. "I think Dad is taking the last of dinner out of the oven as we speak, so we should be ready to eat in no time."

"Great," Dante replied as Kristina shut the front door behind them. "Look, I'm really sorry about getting into that argument with Sonny this afternoon…he just made me so mad."

"Don't worry about it," Kristina told him. "We all get frustrated with him from time to time; that was a major factor in my decision to go to Barcelona."

"I don't blame you," Dante said.

"Can I get you guys something to drink, maybe some wine or something?" Kristina asked.

"I'll have a glass of wine," Lulu said.

"I'll just have water," Dante added.

"Okay, have a seat and I'll be right back," Kristina told them.

"Where did the kids disappear to?" Lulu asked

"Oh, Molly took them in to say hi to Dad," Kristina replied before disappearing into the kitchen. "And Michael and Morgan should be here soon."

"Hey," Sonny said as he walked into the living room, shaking Dante's hand and giving Lulu a half hug since she was still holding Mia. "I'm glad you could make it, I would stay out here longer, but I'm just about to finish up dinner."

"That's fine," Dante replied

"Mama, can we go upstairs to the game room with Molly?" Tanner asked as they came back into the living room.

"Yeah, that's fine with me," Lulu replied, seeing Molly come out of the kitchen.

"Hi Lulu," Molly said, hugging Lulu, then Dante. "And cousin, it's nice to see you again."

"You too," Dante replied with a smile.

"Molly, come on," Tanner said from the top of the stairs.

"I'm coming," Molly replied.

Lulu and Dante went to sit down on the couch, placing Mia in between the 2 of them as Kristina came back into living room carrying a glass of water, two empty wine glasses as a bottle of wine. She handed the water to Dante, then placed the wine glasses on the table before pouring wine into them and handing one to Lulu and keeping one for herself.

"I don't think I will ever get used to you being old enough to drink," Lulu said as Kristina took a sip from her glass.

Kristina laughed, "Everyone says that, I guess they expect me to stay a little kid forever."

"It just makes me feel old," Lulu replied, "You and Michael are getting ready to start your senior year at Princeton, Molly's headed to Yale, and Morgan's going to Brown, you're just growing up too fast."

"Your kids are growing up fast too," Kristina pointed out. "I remember keeping Lexi and Tanner when they were Mia's age."

"Don't remind me, the last almost 8 years have gone by so fast," Lulu replied as Michael and Morgan walked into the living room.

"There you two are, if Dad wasn't running behind on dinner, I would say you were late," Kristina said, getting up to hug her brothers.

Lulu followed suit, picking Mia up in the process, "It's good to see you two again since it will probably be Christmas before you both come home again," she told them as she hugged them.

"We met on the 4th of July, but I'm Michael," he told Dante, reaching out to shake his hand.

"Dante…it's nice to meet you," Dante replied, Morgan stepped up and shook Dante's hand. "You must be Morgan."

"Yeah, it's good to finally meet you…as my brother, I mean," Morgan replied as he turned back to Lulu as he gently took Mia's hand. "What's her name?"

"This is Mia," Lulu told him.

"Hi Mia, I'm your Uncle Morgan," Mia pulled her hand away and grasped Lulu's shirt tightly.

"It's okay Mia, once you get to know your Uncle Morgan, I'm sure you two will be good friends," Lulu said

"Don't you have a little boy too?" Michael asked. "Where is he? And where are Lexi and Tanner?"

"They're upstairs in the game room with Molly," Kristina told him.

"Dinner is on the table," Sonny called from the dining room.

"Molly, come on, dinner's ready," Kristina called up the staircase.

Bridger, Tanner and Lexi came bounding quickly down the stairs with Molly following behind them, "Mama, Mama," Lexi exclaimed as she ran up to Lulu. "Uncle Sonny has all kinds of video games up there and you don't even have to put money in them."

"Well you make sure to thank Uncle Sonny for letting you come over and play those games and for dinner," Lulu reminded her daughter as everyone else, except Dante had started into the dining room.

"Mama," Mia cooed at Lexi, obviously mimicking what she had said.

Lulu and Dante exchanged shocked glances. The thought of Mia picking up on calling Lulu "Mama" had never crossed their minds. Deep down, Lulu was proud Mia said it, even if it wasn't directed at her. Over the months she and Dante had been together, she had formed a bond with Mia and what made it even worse was that technically, Mia didn't have a mother and that she had attached herself to Lulu

"Mama, she said 'Mama,'" Lexi said happily.

"She's only repeating what you say, honey," Lulu told her daughter with a smile before ushering her into the dining room.

After dinner, they sat and talked while Lexi. Bridger and Tanner went upstairs to the game room. Once Tanner came downstairs and sat down between Lulu and Dante, almost falling asleep, they decided it was best to take the kids home.

"Thanks for going over there with me tonight," Dante said as they stood outside, Lulu against the truck, he had his arms around her waist.

"I had a good time, it's always nice spending time with Michael, Morgan, Kristina and Molly," Lulu smiled.

"I hope Mia's new word didn't make you feel uncomfortable," Dante said.

"She's just repeating what she hears," Lulu reminded him. "I'm sure Lexi will be teaching her all kinds of new words soon enough."

"I know, I just don't want you to feel like you have to let her call you that," Dante replied.

"Well, for now, it's harmless, when she starts recognizing me as 'Mama' or 'Lulu,' we can re-evaluate, until then, we will neither encourage, nor discourage her use of the word," Lulu told him.

"Sounds good," he paused "I was going to ask you…Friday night,"

"Yeah?" she was hoping he would ask her out for her birthday.

"I told Ronnie I would take the last few hours of his shift, because he has to go to the city for some reason, but Hailey is going out of town this weekend, so I don't have a sitter," Dante explained. "And I would see if Molly or Kristina would want to keep them, but I'm not sure how Mia will be with her teeth coming in and this stranger anxiety phase she's going through. If you're busy though, I can figure something else out."

"No, I can stay with them, we can have a movie night, it'll be fun," Lulu smiled, trying to hide her disappointment.

"Okay great, I told him I would take the last 4 hours, so I have to be there at 7," Dante replied.

"Alright, I will be at your house about 6:30," Lulu told him.

"Daddy," Bridger called from the backseat since Dante had the front door open. "Come on."

"I'll be right there, buddy," Dante said before turning back to Lulu. "I better go, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay," Lulu replied as Dante leaned in to kiss her.

However, Bridger had become impatient with his father and Lulu. Letting out an "ewww," before he hit the window where they were standing as hard as he could, causing both of them to jump, breaking their kiss. They both looked to the window as Bridger began to giggle.

"Bridger…" Dante sighed.

"Let me handle this," Lulu said, opening the door she had been leaned against and began tickling the boy. "You think that's funny?"

"No," Bridger replied through his giggles.

Lulu stopped tickling him, but placed her hands on either side of his face and began peppering him with kisses all over his face.

"Gross, stop," he pleaded, still giggling.

"Not so funny now, huh?" Lulu questioned with a grin on her face, then noticed Mia smiling. "Your sister thinks it's funny."

"You'll think twice before you do that again, won't you?" Dante laughed.

"Yeah," Bridger answered smugly.

"Bye, bye Mia," Lulu said, opening and closing her hand to wave to the baby, who didn't raise her hand, but opened and closed her hand once from her lap.

"She's almost got it down," Dante recognized.

"Bye Bridge," Lulu said, kissing the top of Bridger's head one last time to tease him.

"Yuck," Bridger exclaimed.

"Tell Lulu bye or she's going to kiss you again," Dante told Bridger.

"Bye," Bridger said quickly before Lulu shut the back door.

"Bye, I love you," Dante said, kissing Lulu once more.

"I love you too," Lulu replied.

Once Dante got home, he pulled his phone from his pocket, before calling a number in his contacts, "Hey, it's Dante…I was wondering if you could help me out with something on Friday night," he spoke into the phone.

_So…thoughts? What's up with Lulu's nightmares? What did you think of Mia's new word? Who do you think Dante called to help him with Lulu's birthday?_


	16. Birthday Blowout

_I know it's been forever and I apologize once again. I hope you're still enjoying the story. I've had this finished for almost a week, but I've been writing on Chapter 17 and coming back to fine tune this chapter, because I wasn't completely satisfied with it. Anyway, hope you like it. Let me know =)_

**Chapter 16 – Birthday Blowout**

Lulu had been in her office most of the day. Normally, she wouldn't take up so much of the assistants' time with things she could easily do herself, but today was her birthday and if she wanted to hide out in her office and sulk, then she would.

"What's wrong with you?" Maxie asked as she burst in Lulu's office.

"What are you talking about?" Lulu feigned ignorance, hoping Maxie would go away.

"You're in here brooding on your birthday, you're usually really happy on your birthday," Maxie told her. "It's not because of your age is it? Because you still have another year left until you turn 30, Lulu."

"No, I'm just a little annoyed," Lulu replied. "I had hoped to spend the evening with Dante, instead he's working and I'll have the kids."

"Well, maybe you can go out tomorrow," Maxie said.

"He works tomorrow too, he was supposed to be off tonight, but he offered to work for Ronnie tonight," Lulu replied with a sigh.

"He knew it was your birthday and he voluntarily took a shift for someone else?" Maxie was outraged; she was tempted to call Dante then and there to give him a piece of her mind.

"No, he didn't know it was my birthday…or at least I didn't think he did," Lulu replied.

"Yet you expected him to take you out for your birthday?" Maxie questioned. "Lulu, you can't be mad at him when he didn't even know it was your birthday."

"No, I'm not mad at him, I'm annoyed with myself," Lulu admitted, resting her elbows on her desk and pressing her thumb an index finger to the bridge of her nose. "I wanted to go out for my birthday and I was going to see if he would want to go out too, you know, like you and I do sometimes. But before I got a chance to ask, he was asking if I would keep the kids while he worked."

"So should I call him and tell him it's your birthday and he needs to take you out?" Maxie wondered, reaching for the phone.

"No don't," Lulu stopped her. "That will only make him feel worse and that's not what I want."

"Okay fine, but if he doesn't know by tomorrow, I'm telling him," Maxie pointed her finger at Lulu.

"Fine," Lulu agreed reluctantly before Maxie turned to leave.

When Lulu pulled up to Dante's that night, she was still kicking herself for not saying anything to him about her birthday. She loved spending time with the kids and any other day she would be more than ecstatic to keep the four of them. But all she really wanted for her birthday was to spend some alone time with Dante, because the irrational side of her was ready to sleep with him a long time ago, but it wasn't until recently that she felt emotionally ready to make love to Dante.

Lexi and Tanner jumped out of the SUV and took off running toward the house. Lulu knew exactly what they were going to do.

"Don't just run in the house, you two, knock first," she called out as she was stepping out of the SUV.

But they didn't listen and burst into the house without knocking. Of course Dante didn't care, but didn't want her kids doing that.

When she got to the porch, Dante was standing at the front door holding a bouquet of lavender-colored roses and Peruvian lilies. Lulu eyed him carefully.

"Happy birthday," he said with a smile, taking a step toward her.

Her lips curved into a smile and she felt tears stinging her eyes as she took the flowers, "How did you know?"

"Well, I asked Lucky a few months ago because I wanted to make sure I didn't miss it," he said as Lulu hugged him with her free arm.

"That's so sweet," she replied, kissing him softly before smelling of the flowers. "Thank you, they smell wonderful."

"Bridger picked them out, actually," Dante admitted. "He also took the liberty of making you a card."

"Wow, then let's go inside and see," Lulu told him.

"Happy birthday, Lulu," Bridger said as he ran up and gave her the card made from construction paper.

"Thank you Bridger, that is so sweet," Lulu replied, kneeling down and hugging him.

"Please don't kiss me," he pleaded before Tanner and Lexi beckoned him to come to play in his room.

"We actually have another surprise for you," Dante told Lulu.

When she looked up from the card, she saw her mom standing there holding Mia, "Mom," her tone signaling she was surprised and not quite sure what was going on. "What are you doing here?"

"Can't I surprise my daughter on her birthday?" Laura wondered.

"Well yeah, I'm just surprised," Lulu answered before hugging her mom. "I didn't see your car out there."

"Do you want to tell her or should I?" Laura looked past her daughter to Dante.

"I'll let you," Dante smiled.

Lulu turned around to look at her boyfriend, then to her mom, and back to Dante again, "Someone tell me, because you're going to be late for work," she reminded him, placing the flowers on the end table next to the couch.

"I'm not going to work," he said.

"And I'm going to take your kids back to your house so you can celebrate your birthday with Dante," Laura added quickly.

"Wait…" she turned to face Dante. "Why aren't you going to work?"

"I never was planning on going to work, I wanted to surprise you," he told her.

The confused look faded as she smiled once again, putting her arms around his neck to pull him into another kiss, "You're amazing," she said, but then released her hold on him and turned to Laura. "If Bridger and Mia are going to be here to celebrate my birthday, I don't think it's fair to make Tanner and Lexi go home with you."

"Bridger and Mia aren't staying," Laura said. "I'm taking all four of them, that's why we're going to your house, because I know Mia will be more comfortable there than at my house."

"Are you sure you'll be okay with all four of them?" Lulu wondered.

"We'll be fine, don't you worry about a thing, I'm going to get Mia and Bridger's overnight bags and we'll be out of your hair," Laura assured her daughter.

"Overnight bags?" Lulu asked, the confused look returning to her face.

Dante took her hand in his, "Well, I had hoped you might want to stay the night here, but if not, that's fine too," he told her. "But I promised Bridger he could stay the night with Tanner and Lexi, and I would hate for your mom to get Mia good and settled for the night, just for me to come disturb her sleep to take her home."

"Wow, you've really thought this whole thing out, haven't you," Lulu said.

"I can't take all the credit; your mom helped me with some of the planning and some of the cooking, as well," Dante admitted.

"You cooked?" Lulu questioned, Dante nodded in return.

"Oh, it was nothing," Laura added modestly. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to gather my children and their things and head back to your house."

"Do you need some help?" Lulu questioned.

"No, I got it covered," Laura assured Lulu as she walked over and kissed her on the forehead. "You enjoy your birthday."

"Thanks Mom," Lulu replied, pulling Mia from Laura's arms before Laura could protest. "Hi honey."

"Do you still have a car seat base in your car?" Dante asked.

"Yeah, it's in there," Lulu replied, then looked at Mia, pressing her forehead to the baby's. "You're good to go, huh?"

Mia began babbling in response.

"Are you okay with this?" he wondered.

"Yeah, I'm more than happy to get to spend some time with you on my birthday," she grinned, putting her free arm around Dante's neck began kissing him. "It's exactly what I wanted."

"I thought if you had your heart set on celebrating with the kids, we could do that after I get off work tomorrow night, do the cake thing with the pointy hats," Dante told her.

"You mean you didn't get me a cake?" Lulu asked, pretending to be upset.

"Well your mom told me how much you liked lemon-raspberry cheesecake, so she helped me make one of those," Dante explained. "I hope that will make up for not having a real cake."

"I think it will more than make up for it," she said as the kids came running down the hall with Lexi in the lead, Lulu put a hand out to stop her, "Don't I get a goodbye kiss?"

"Bye, I love you," Lexi said as she and Lulu kissed each other's cheeks. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you, I love you too," Lulu told her daughter.

"Bye Mama," Tanner said, quickly kissing his mom. "I love you."

"I love you too," Lulu replied.

Bridger quickly darted past Lulu as he had already told Dante goodbye, "What was that about?" Laura wondered.

"He thinks kisses are gross," Dante answered.

"Most do at that age," Laura nodded.

"I guess I have to hand you over, huh Mia?" Lulu said to the baby before kissing her cheek.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call," Dante told Laura before kissing Mia.

"Thanks for keeping them tonight, Mom," Lulu said, handing Mia over to her mom.

"No problem and you guys don't worry about a thing, the kids and I will be fine," Laura assured them, hugging Dante, and then Lulu. "And I want both of you to sleep in as late as you want."

They said their final goodbyes and she was out the door. Lulu turned to Dante and smiled again, "So, what's for dinner?" she asked.

"Cheese and mushroom ravioli with a vodka cream sauce," Dante replied.

"Sounds great, let's eat," she said as she started toward the kitchen, but he stopped her.

"Wait here, I have to finish getting it ready," he said, she raised an eyebrow at him. "In my defense, you were here a little early."

When he came back a few moments later, he led her into the dining room where he had the lighting dimmed and candles lit on the table, along with another bouquet of flowers in a vase. He led her over to one of the place settings and pulled out the chair for her.

"This looks delicious," Lulu said, sitting down in front of the plate of ravioli.

"Thank you," he replied, sitting down across from her at the small kitchen table.

After dinner and dessert, they went into the living room and he sat down on the couch as she picked out a movie.

"Are you sure there's nothing else you want to do?" Dante wondered.

"No, not unless you had something else planned," Lulu replied, placing the DVD into the player.

"I thought about asking what you wanted to do for your birthday in the first place, but I really wanted to surprise you, so if there is anything you had your heart set on, you can tell me," he said.

"This is perfect," she told him as she came around the coffee table to sit next to him. "All I really wanted was to spend time alone with you because it's been awhile since we got to hang out without the kids."

"Well, I'm glad I could make it special for you," he said, pulling her into his lap before she could sit down.

She crashed her lips into his, allowing their tongues to immediately thrash against one another. She got a little more comfortable by placing a knee on either side of him without breaking their kiss. She let out a moan as her breathing became shallower, finally causing her to pull away.

"Do you know how amazing you are?" she wondered

"If that kiss was any indication, then I'm guessing you think I'm pretty damn amazing," he replied

"I want you to make love to me, Dante," she told him, any anxiety she may have had was washed when he looked to her, the passion in his eyes matched hers

"Uh, a-are you sure about that?" he asked, almost regretting it, he wanted to be with her more than anything, but he wasn't lying when he had told her he was willing to wait until she was ready.

"I'm sure," Lulu answered, knowing the wine she had during dinner had a hand in her boldness.

Her lips met his once again as she ran her hands along his collarbone, over his neck and into his hair. He pulled her closer against him, she tensed momentarily, but then he felt her relax again, so he ignored it. He let his lips wander away from hers and down her jaw line to her neck as she began to tug at the buttons on his shirt.

Dante pushed some of her curls back, then let his hand graze over her shoulder and down her side, resting it on her hip momentarily, before running it underneath her shirt to her breasts. When he did this, she froze, this time she didn't relax, causing him to pull back.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She lowered her head and wiped her eyes, "I don't think I can do this Dante…I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Lu, look at me," when she didn't listen, he placed a finger underneath her chin to make her look at him. "You don't need to apologize; I've told you before and I will tell you a million times more, I can wait. I love you Lulu and I look forward to being with you in every sense of the word, but I don't want you to rush yourself."

"What is wrong with me?" Lulu asked rhetorically. "It's been over five years, you would think I would be a sex-crazed animal or something."

Dante had to let out a laugh at her comment, "There's nothing wrong with you, Lulu," he assured her. "You're protecting your heart, you gave it to someone that you thought you would be with forever, even though it was under different circumstances, you know I know how that feels and it took me a long time to get here, where I'm comfortable with you. So I don't blame you, nor am I mad at you…cut yourself a little slack."

"How did I manage to get a man as perfect as you?" Lulu wondered.

"Well let's see…if my memory serves me correctly, you pulled that little stunt in the school parking lot that morning to get me to notice you," he answered.

Her mouth gaped open as she pretended to be offended, "I did not do that on purpose," she said. "You're the one who forced me to go to the hospital with you and insisted on staying with me."

"I can't believe you would accuse me of such hurtful things," he replied, placing both hands over his heart.

Lulu laughed as she moved off of him, letting him put his arm around her once again, "Are you sure you're not upset?" she asked. "Because if you are, you can take me home."

"I'm sure…do you want to go home?" He wondered.

"No, of course not," she sat up so she could look at him. "I just didn't want you to think I had to stay if you didn't want me to."

"What I want is for you and me to enjoy the rest of your birthday, and the only way I can do that is if you're in my arms for the remainder of the night," Dante told her.

And that is just what they did; they sat on the couch and watched the movie. As always, Lulu fell asleep before it was over, so Dante carried her to his room. He contemplated whether to let her sleep in her jeans and t-shirt or wake her up to change into one of his shirts. Luckily, she woke up as he was placing her in his bed and decided to change into one of his shirts. A few minutes later, she was snuggling into his strong frame and drifting off to sleep. Dante remained awake a few moments, enjoying having Lulu in his arms, before falling asleep, as well.

She only had one nightmare that night. Once again, she had to stand by and watch as she lost the man she loved. She woke up in a sweat and crying, but didn't wake Dante. She was relieved when she heard him mumbling in his sleep, knowing he was okay.

The next morning, Lulu woke up expecting to still be wrapped in Dante's arms, but was surprised to find his side of the bed empty and she could tell by the lack of warmth that he had been gone awhile.

She opened the bedroom door a little and could hear noise coming from down the hall. When she reached the kitchen, his back was to her as he was cooking something on the stove, wearing only a pair of pajama pants. So she went up behind him and snaked her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Good morning," he said, turning his head to kiss her, but she buried her face into his shoulder blade.

"Not until I brush my teeth," she told him. "And to do that, I need a toothbrush."

"There should be some extra ones in the top drawer in the bathroom, but they might be kid toothbrushes from the dentist," Dante told her.

"That's fine, as long as I can get rid of this morning breath," she said, placing a kiss to his shoulder before she turned to walk out of the kitchen.

When she came back a few minutes later, he was putting plates of food on the table, "Looks delicious," she said.

"Thank you, I work very hard to keep this body looking like this," Dante replied, running his hand over his abs.

Lulu laughed and shook her head, "You know what I meant," she said.

He caught her by the waist and pulled her closer to him, "Can I get a proper 'good morning' now?" he asked.

She put her arms around his neck before they shared a passionate kiss, "Good morning," she smiled after they ended the kiss.

"Good morning," he replied, pressing another brief kiss to her lips before moving to pull her chair out for her.

"Thank you for cooking breakfast," she said. "French toast is my favorite…I guess my mom told you that too."

"No actually, I wanted to make you pancakes, but I didn't have any pancake mix, so I figured this was the next best thing," Dante explained.

"Well, it's delicious," she said happily. "What time do you have to be at work today?"

"At two," Dante replied

Lulu looked at Dante's watch, "Is it really almost 11 already?" she asked

"Yeah," Dante nodded with a mouthful of food.

"I should probably call and check on Mom and the kids," Lulu started to get up, but Dante placed his hand on her shoulder, keeping her from getting up.

"I already called her, she's fine, the kids are fine, she said I could bring you home when I leave for work and either you can keep the kids or she will until I get off work," Dante explained.

"Well, you just thought of everything, didn't you?" she smiled before taking a sip of her coffee.

"And since I only have a four-hour shift today, we could celebrate your birthday with the kids tonight, maybe order pizza and watch that movie they've been asking to see, the one with the dog, it came out this week I think," he suggested.

"That sounds like a plan to me," Lulu replied

"Great, I'll pick up a cake on the way home, do you have any preferences?" he wondered.

"No, I'll just take that leftover cheesecake home for me," she grinned, he narrowed his eyes at her, causing her to giggle. "I'm just kidding, I'll share with you, but the kids will want real cake. Lexi and Tanner aren't picky when it comes to cake, so get whatever you want."

After breakfast, Lulu insisted on doing the dishes after all that he had done for her, but ended up having to compromise with Dante that she would wash and he would dry.

Lulu cleaned up the living room, as well as picked up Bridger and Mia's rooms a little while Dante showered, then he got ready for work while she showered. He wanted to go back to Lulu's early so he could see the kids before he had to go to work.

When Dante and Lulu walked into Lulu's home, Lexi, Tanner and Bridger ran to greet them, telling them of all the fun they had been having before they took off toward the back door to play outside.

"I think there's someone else who wants to tell you about all the fun she had last night too," Laura said, pointing to Mia who was crawling slowly across the floor toward them.

"She's crawling!" Lulu exclaimed, causing Mia to sit down and look up at them with a smile.

"Good job Mia," Dante praised as they both clapped.

"She started doing that last night and the kids said she hadn't done it before," Laura explained. "They had her following them all over the place."

"She's been scooting everywhere for the last month, we've been waiting on her to really start crawling," Lulu explained, kneeling on the floor a few feet away from Mia. "Come here, pretty girl."

Mia began crawling toward Lulu, placing her hand in Lulu's once she got close enough to her. Lulu pulled her into her arms, hugging her tightly, "A-dadadada," Mia babbled.

"Yeah, your dada's right there," Lulu said, standing up with Mia in her arms.

Dante leaned over to kiss his daughter's cheek, "You're growing up too fast, Mia," he told her as she reached out and grabbed a fistful of his hair.

"So did you have a good birthday?" Laura asked, placing her arm around her daughter. "Were you surprised?"

"Yeah, I was, Dante really had me believing that he had to work," Lulu replied. "It was nice and the food was delicious, thank you for helping him, by the way."

"Oh, I told him not to give me any of the credit," Laura said modestly as she went to sit down in the plush armchair.

"You deserve it, I would have been lost without your help," Dante replied.

"I'm sure it would have been great no matter what you decided to do," Lulu told him as they sat down on the couch.

"We're going to have pizza and cake with the kids tonight after I get off work, we'd love to have you join us," Dante said to Laura.

"Yeah, I think we're going to watch a movie the kids have wanted to see too," Lulu added.

"I might join you for a little while," Laura replied

Dante stayed for awhile longer, before having to go to work, "Bridger, be good for Lulu or we won't get to have a birthday party tonight," he told his son. "I'll see you tonight, I love you."

"I love you too," Bridger replied, hugging his father.

"Bye Mia," he kissed her cheek, then waved to her, she began to open and close her tiny hand to wave back. "I love you."

"Say 'I love you too,'" Lulu said as she stood at the door, holding Mia.

Dante leaned in to kiss Lulu, "I love you, I'll see you later," he said.

"I love you too," she smiled before he gave her another quick peck on the lips. "Don't forget to go get the cake."

"Laura, thank you again for all your help last night and today," Dante said.

"You're welcome," Laura smiled.

Dante and Lulu shared one last quick kiss before he was out the door.

"So you two are getting pretty serious, it seems," Laura said as her daughter joined her on the couch.

"Mom, if you're wondering if we've slept together, the answer is no," Lulu confessed.

"Well, thank you for that, but it's not what I was wondering," Laura replied. "I'm just worried that you might be getting too attached to these kids and them with you and Lexi and Tanner with Dante and if you two decide to break up, the kids are going to be the ones who end up hurt."

"Mom," Lulu sighed. "I love Dante and he loves me. That doesn't mean we're ready to get married, nor does it mean we're ready to even think about getting married. But honestly, when I picture my life and my future, I see myself with Dante. I don't want to live my life without him and his kids in it."

"Okay, I'm not telling you this because I don't have faith in you and Dante or because I don't like Dante, because I love him to death, I just want you to consider the possibilities and think about how it could affect your children," Laura said.

"I know Mom, but I'm learning that I can't keep myself or my children in a bubble for the rest of our lives and to get the best out of life, you have to take risks," Lulu replied

"I'm so blessed to have such a wise daughter," Laura smiled, taking Lulu's hand in hers.

"Well, I have you to thank for that," Lulu said, squeezing her mother's hand gently.

"Are you still having those nightmares?" Laura wondered.

"Yeah, but I only had one last night, so hopefully that means they will subside soon," Lulu replied, handing Mia one of her toys that was sitting on the coffee table.

"Have you talked to Dante about them? Laura asked

"No…what am I supposed to say? 'Oh, by the way I have dreams about you dying every time I fall asleep,'" Lulu said

"Well sweetie, maybe talking with Dante will help," Laura suggested.

"Mom, please…" Lulu paused. "I know you're trying to help and I really appreciate that, but I would also appreciate it if you could just drop it, I'm not ready to talk to him about it."

Laura sighed quietly, "Okay," she agreed.

"Thank you," Lulu replied, standing Mia up on the floor, allowing her to grab a hold of the coffee table.

"Lexi told me that Mia said 'Mama,'" Laura said.

"Mamamama," Mia repeated.

"Yeah and that's why, she was mocking Lexi," Lulu laughed, then looked at Mia. "Mia, say 'Lulu.'"

"Mamama," Mia said again.

"Lu-Lu," she annunciated, causing Mia to giggle.

Later that night

"Okay you guys, get out of the pool and start drying off, I think that storm is moving in," Lulu told them, picking up her cell phone from the patio table as she stood.

As the kids got out of the pool, she handed their towels to them, "Are we going to watch a movie?" Tanner wondered.

"Yeah, we're going to rent one from the TV," Lulu replied. "So I want you to go upstairs, dry off good and get changed into some pajamas."

"But it's still light outside," Lexi pointed out as they started toward the house.

"But by the time the movie's over, it's going to be your bedtime," Lulu reminded her daughter as her phone began to ring, seeing it was Dante before answering it as she walked into the kitchen from outside. "Hey,"

"Hey," he replied. "I picked up the cake and I just pulled up at Sonny's office, he said he had something to give me, but I'll be there soon."

"Okay, the pizza should be here soon and I just got the kids out of the pool, so we'll be here," Lulu explained.

"I can't wait," Dante said, she could tell by his tone that he was smiling. "I love you."

"I love you too," Lulu smiled before they ended the call and she placed the phone on the kitchen counter as she heard a clap of thunder.

She walked into the living room as Laura entered from the other side, carrying Mia, "Look who finally decided to wake up," she told Lulu.

"You slept a long time, Miss Mia," Lulu said, taking Mia's hand.

"I went in to check on her and she was lying there staring at the ceiling fan," Laura said.

"She loves ceiling fans, she's always watched them," Lulu replied as the doorbell rang. "There's the pizza."

She grabbed the money sitting on the decorative table near the staircase before opening the door. She took the pizzas from the delivery guy and handed him the money, thanking him before she closed the door.

As she placed the pizza down on the kitchen counter, the kids came running into the kitchen, "Can we eat now?" Bridger asked

"No, we're going to wait for your daddy, he should be here soon though," Lulu told him, placing her hands on his cheeks.

"Do I get to stay the night here again tonight?" Bridger wondered.

"I don't know, you'll have to ask your dad when he gets here, but if he doesn't care, I don't mind," Lulu answered.

"Let's go watch TV until Dante gets here," Tanner suggested, the three kids took off as Mia was crawling into the kitchen, being followed by Laura.

"Watch out for Mia," Lulu said quickly as the kids darted around the baby.

"She's getting pretty good at that for only starting to really crawl last night," Laura said.

"Yeah, she is," Lulu agreed as he phone began to ring, it was Maxie. "Hello?"

"So, do I need to give Dante a call?" she asked

"No Maxie, Dante surprised me last night for my birthday, he and Mom had the whole thing planned out," Lulu answered, noticing it had started to rain as lightning struck followed shortly by another clap of thunder.

"Well good, I'm glad he didn't disappoint," Maxie replied. "And you made it worth his while, right?"

"No Maxie," Lulu said monotonously, walking over to the back patio door as Laura continued to follow Mia around the kitchen and dining room.

"Oh, so you did disappoint," Maxie replied.

"I tried, I just couldn't do it," Lulu told her friend.

"Well, at least you tried, I suppose," Maxie said. "So what are you doing tonight?"

"Celebrating my birthday with the kids, they stayed with Mom last night, so we're having pizza and cake and watching a movie," Lulu explained. "You and Spinelli are more than welcome to join us."

"That sounds like a blast, Lulu, but I think I'm going to have to pass," Maxie said as they both started to laugh.

"Yeah, the domestic life isn't really for you, I know," Lulu replied.

"Mama, come here! Hurry!" Lexi exclaimed from the living room.

"I gotta go, I'll talk to you later," Lulu said, hanging up the phone as she started toward the living room, Laura picked up Mia and followed her. "What?"

"Look," Lexi pointed to the TV at the burning building on one of the local news stations. "They said it belonged to Uncle Sonny and Uncle Jason."

"Oh my God," Lulu murmured, placing a hand over her mouth, trying to hold her composure in front of the kids. "Change the channel, Lexi, watch some cartoons."

Lulu went back into the kitchen, suddenly feeling sick, Laura followed her daughter, "That's the building his office is in, isn't it?" she asked

"Yeah and when Dante called earlier, he was going by to see Sonny," Lulu replied, picking up her phone and calling Dante's phone as her tears began to fall.

"I'm sure he's fine honey, he had time to go see him and get out before this happened," Laura said, trying to assure herself as much as her daughter.

"I don't have time for this," Lulu said when Dante's voicemail picked up. "I have to go down there."

"Sweetie, I don't think that's a good idea," Laura said. "He's probably busy helping and he left his phone in his truck."

"He never does that," Lulu replied, grabbing her purse and her keys. "I have to go, Mom, I can't just sit here and wait."

"Okay, go, go," Laura said, knowing that if she were in Lulu's position, there would be no stopping her. So she walked over and hugged her daughter and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I love you, be careful."

"I will," Lulu smiled faintly before taking off out the door into the garage.

_So what did you think? Is this what Lulu's nightmares have been predicting or is it something deeper she's struggling with? Is Dante dead, alive, working the scene, maybe missing forever or even abducted by one of the many crazies in Port Charles?_


	17. Waiting Game

_So here it is, Chapter 17. I hope you enjoy it._

**Chapter 17 – Waiting Game**

The drive to the warehouse where Sonny's office was located usually took about fifteen minutes, but today it felt like an eternity. She had continued to call Dante's phone with no answer. They had the scene taped off across the street and she couldn't see much of what was going on since the blast was focused on the waterfront side of the building.

"I can't let you through ma'am," he said.

"No, you don't understand, I have to make sure someone is okay," Lulu said, trying to push past the officer, but once again, he stopped her.

"The area hasn't been secured, it isn't safe, you have to wait here," he replied.

"Can't you at least find out for me?" Lulu wondered.

"Ma'am, if the person you're looking for was in the building at the time of the explosion, the chances of him making it out alive are not good," he explained

"Don't say that!" Lulu screamed as she went into hysterics.

The officer gently, but firmly took Lulu by the arms as she continued to yell at him and tried to hit him.

"Hey, what's going on?" another officer asked as he walked up, when Lulu looked up, she saw it was her brother.

"Lucky, have you seen Dante?" she asked.

"No, he got off work before all hell broke loose, he said he was coming to your house," Lucky replied.

"No, he came by here to see Sonny first and he's not answering his phone, he has to be in there," Lulu explained. "I can't lose him Lucky, I can't."

"We'll find him," Lucky pulled his sister into his arms, knowing full well that nearly half of that waterfront warehouse was floating down the river and Dante's body could be anywhere, something he didn't dare tell Lulu.

"Lulu!" she turned to see who was calling her name.

"Grandma, where did Mama go?" Lexi asked as they sat at the bar in the kitchen eating pizza.

"And where's my daddy?" Bridger added.

"Um, they had something they had to take care of, but they'll be back soon," Laura told them, she was feeding Mia, who was sitting in her Bumbo chair.

"Is it because of Uncle Sonny's warehouse burning up?" Tanner questioned before taking a bite of his pizza.

"I'm not sure sweetie," Laura answered.

"When can we have cake?" Bridger asked as he shoved his last bite of pizza in his mouth.

"When they get back, your dad was going to pick it up," Laura told him as she cleaned Mia's face and hands, which were covered in pureed sweet potatoes.

That's when the phone rang, "I'll get it," Lexi squealed, jumping out of her seat.

"No Lex, I'll get it, you finish eating," Laura said, taking Mia out of her chair before picking up the phone and walking toward the other room. "Hello?"

"Laura, it's Olivia, I got your message, is something wrong?" she wondered.

"Well, I'm not really sure," Laura began. "One of Sonny's waterfront warehouses exploded tonight and Lulu had reason to believe that Dante was there when it blew up, she left to go down there and I have the kids. I haven't heard from Lulu yet, so I'm not sure, but I thought I would let you know in case something did happen."

"Okay, I'm going to try not to jump the gun until we hear something because for all we know, he's out there helping," Olivia sighed. "Can you keep me updated?"

"Yes, I will call as soon as I hear something from Lulu," Laura replied

"How are the kids?" She wondered. "Do they know what's going on?"

"They know the building was on fire, but other than that, no," Laura explained.

"I wish I was closer so I could come help you with the kids," Olivia said.

"Oh it's fine, Tanner, Lexi and Bridger entertain each other for the most part and Mia and I are getting along just fine," Laura said. "The only problem is, Dante was supposed to be bringing cake home for Lulu's birthday and that's what the kids are really thinking about."

"Well that's good, they don't need to be worried," Olivia said

"No they don't," Laura agreed. "I am going to go, but as soon as I hear something, I will let you know."

"Thanks Laura," Olivia said before they ended the phone call.

"Have you seen my dad?" Kristina questioned with tears rolling down her cheeks as she approached Lulu.

Lulu pulled away from Lucky to embrace Kristina, "No, I haven't, the search and rescue team is looking now," Lulu told her.

"Is Dante helping in the search?" Molly wondered.

"No, I think Dante was visiting Sonny when the warehouse exploded," Lulu replied somberly.

"They're going to be fine, we have to think positive," Molly told them.

"Lulu, I need to get back to the scene, promise me that you, Kristina and Molly will stay here," Lucky said to his sister.

"We'll stay here," Lulu said.

"Krissy," Michael called as he and Morgan got out of his truck. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, we haven't heard anything, we're pretty sure Dad and Dante are both in there though," Kristina replied as she hugged her brothers.

"Is there anything we can do?" Morgan wondered.

"No, we just have to stay here and wait," Molly told him.

Nearly an hour passed, the police department had set up a base across the street from the building, where Lulu, Michael, Morgan, Kristina, Molly had taken shelter from the rain under the large tent. Sam had showed up because Jason was also in the building.

They had heard conversations going on over the two-way radios since they had arrived, but what they heard that time made their world stand still, "We found two of the victims, one is DOA, the other is breathing, but in critical condition, we need a back board in here now."

"We need to get in there, that could be our dad and our brother," Kristina pleaded with the officer standing guard.

"And our husbands are in there too," Sam added, motioning to herself and Lulu.

"I'm sorry folks, but I have to keep you on this side of the yellow tape, I can't let anyone through," he told them.

Lulu's stomach sank as she sat down on the curb and put her face in her hands as she began to cry. She felt selfish for hoping the lifeless body they found wasn't Dante because she knew that meant it was Sonny or Jason. But was it too much to ask that Dante's life was spared? Wasn't it enough that the mob took Johnny from her?

"It's going to be okay, Lulu," Michael said as he walked over and sat down next to his cousin, putting an arm around her.

"No it's not Michael!" Lulu exclaimed. "Don't you see…someone is dead in there, it's either Sonny, Jason or Dante, that's not okay!"

"Lulu, there could have been a number of people in that building," Sam said.

"And it would be okay if someone else died?" Lulu wondered, looking at her friend.

"You know that's not what I meant," Sam replied

"I know that it's a normal life for you Sam, knowing people are dying everyday because of the mob, it was something I tolerated too when I was with Johnny, it was who he was and I accepted it, but it's not okay for this to be happening," Lulu told her. "I lost Johnny because of the mob and now I could loose Dante too, just because of his association with Sonny."

Sam wasn't sure what to say, she knew Lulu was right.

When they saw the paramedics rolling the gurney toward the ambulance a few minutes later, Michael and Lulu jumped up and they all moved forward.

"I need all of you to take a step back," the officer said.

"It's Dad," Morgan said, Kristina let out an audible cry.

"That's our dad," Michael told the officer as he pushed passed him, to the paramedics loading the gurney into the ambulance. "I'm going with him."

"Are you family?" The paramedic asked.

"Yeah, I'm his son," Michael replied, then turned to Morgan and tossed him his keys. "Can you bring Molly and Kristina if they need a ride?"

"Yeah," Morgan answered.

"We need to go now," the paramedic said, ushering Michael into the ambulance.

"Do you need a ride?" Morgan asked his sister.

"Yeah," Kristina replied, then turned to Molly. "Are you going to come with us or stay here?"

Molly looked to Sam, "Will you be okay here?" she asked.

"I'll be fine," Sam replied, hugging her youngest sister, then pulling Kristina into her embrace as well. "I love you both."

"I love you too," Kristina and Molly replied before leaving with Morgan.

Sam and Lulu stood waiting another 10 minutes before they saw the other gurney being rolled out, this one with a body bag on it.

"Excuse me, can you tell me if that person has been identified?" Sam questioned the paramedic. "My husband was in the building."

"I can't give out information until family has been officially notified," the paramedic replied.

"Lucky," Lulu called out when she saw her brother; he came over to where she and Sam were standing. "Did you see who that was?"

"I couldn't really tell who it was, but it wasn't Dante or Jason," Lucky told them.

Lulu breathed a brief sigh of relief before she realized Dante was still missing. She sat back down on the curb and quietly began to cry. Her phone began to ring; it was her mom.

"Hello?"

"Have you heard anything?" Laura asked

"No, they just took Sonny to GH, and they brought out another body in a body bag, but Lucky said it wasn't Dante or Jason," Lulu replied.

"But you're sure he was in there?"

"His truck is parked across the street and no one's seen him, so he had to be in there," Lulu explained.

"Are you there alone? Do I need to have someone come down there to wait with you?" She questioned.

"No, Sam's here with me," Lulu answered.

"Okay," Laura said.

"Have you talked to Olivia?" Lulu wondered.

"Not in awhile, I called to tell her what was going on, but she was going to wait to leave the city until we heard something for sure," Laura explained.

"You might call her and…" Lulu got choked up as she began to cry again as she was coming to terms with the fact that Dante was really missing. "And tell her she probably needs to get here because they've been searching for awhile and still haven't found him."

"I'll tell her," Laura replied, her heart broke for her daughter. "Jason's missing too, I take it?"

"Yeah, he is," Lulu said, there was silence for a moment before Lulu spoke again. "Mom…"

"Yeah honey?" Laura asked, she could tell her daughter was still crying.

"I'm scared," she admitted.

"Of course you're scared, sweetheart," Laura replied.

"What if those dreams I've been having were a sign of this?" Lulu wondered. "What if they're coming true?"

"You just have to have faith and hope that he will make it through this," Laura said.

"I'm going to go see if Lucky's heard anything else, will you call Olivia and let her know what's going on?" Lulu asked.

"Yes, I will call her," Laura replied. "I love you my sweet girl, don't give up."

"I won't," she told her. "I love you Mom."

Lulu stood up from where she had been sitting on the curb just as Lucky started toward her.

"Are these Dante's?" Lucky asked, holding up some keys on a keychain.

Any composure Lulu might have gained in those last few moments, were lost as she began to cry harder, clamping a hand over her mouth as she nodded her head.

"Did they find him?" Lulu asked

"No, but I recognized these because it has the same keychain you and the kids got me in Niagara Falls last spring, I knew he had it because I picked up his keys by mistake one day," Lucky said, holding the keys out for his sister to take. "They're a little burnt, but the keys are still in tact, I thought you might want them."

"Thank you Lucky," she replied as she hugged her brother.

"There's something else I need to tell you…" he said, waving Sam over to them.

"They've searched the building multiple times and they've been combing the river for Dante and Jason, but it's getting to dark and raining too hard, so they're calling off the search until morning," Lucky explained.

"They can't do that; they have to keep looking," Sam said. "You can't just leave Jason and Dante out there to die."

"The weather conditions are getting too dangerous for the crews to be out in the river," Lucky said.

"If they won't keep looking, then I will," Lulu said defiantly.

"We can use mine and Jason's boat," Sam suggested.

"No, that's not a good idea," Lucky said.

A voice came over Lucky's two-way radio, "We found another body, we were securing the area and he was under some rubble in the alleyway behind the building," the voice said. "The breathing is very shallow, we need to transport to GH as soon as possible."

"I'll be right back," Lucky said.

"I'm going with you," Lulu quickly began following him, but he turned around and stopped her.

"No, you need to stay here, this may be something you don't need to see," Lucky told his sister, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I will find out what I can and let you know, just stay here."

"We will," Sam assured him.

They waited a few minutes before the paramedics came rolling the gurney toward one of the nearby ambulances.

"Moment of truth," Lulu sighed as they both continued to watch closely.

"It's Jason," Sam said, running toward the paramedics.

"He's unconscious ma'am," the paramedic told her.

"I'm his wife, I have to go with him," Sam told them.

"We have to keep looking Lucky," Lulu told her brother as he walked back up to her.

"We can't Lu, it's too dangerous to be in that building without protective gear or out in the harbor with the rain and wind picking up," Lucky said.

"So we just leave Dante out there to die?" Lulu raised her voice.

"Lulu, you have to realize, it's been nearly 3 hours since we arrived at the scene and—" he was cut off.

"Don't you dare say it Lucky, he's alive, and he's out there helpless and alone," Lulu's voice cracked.

Sam came back over to them, "Lulu, if you still need someone to help you look for Dante, I can get someone to help you," she offered.

"No, I think my brother would disown me if I did that," Lulu replied.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do," she said, hugging her friend.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier," Lulu told her.

"Don't worry about it, I completely understand," Sam replied, pulling back from the embrace and smiling at Lulu. "Don't give up.

"I won't," Lulu nodded.

"Let me take you home," he said.

"No, I can drive myself home," she insisted, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Just don't do anything that's going to get you killed," he said.

"I won't," Lulu replied, as the ambulance Jason was in left the scene.

She hugged her brother before walking toward Dante's truck, unlocking it, then getting in the driver's side and shutting the door. She looked in the passenger's seat and saw a cardboard bakery box, opening it, she found a colorful round cake that said "Happy Birthday Mama" on it. Lulu smiled at the thought of him taking the kids into consideration, instead of putting "Lulu" on it. Lulu sat in the truck and let her tears silently fall, this time not holding back as her whole body shook from the sobbing. She must have sat there for at least ten minutes before she picked up the box and made sure there was nothing else she needed to get out of the truck before getting out and going to her car.

When she got back to her house, it was nearing 10 and it had started to storm harder, Laura had already put the kids to bed.

"If I would have known you were bringing cake home, I would have let the kids stay up," Laura told her daughter.

"It's okay, they don't need the sugar this late, I'll put it in the refrigerator and they can have it tomorrow," Lulu said, walking toward the kitchen to put the cake in the refrigerator. "Are the kids okay?"

"Yeah, just asking a lot of questions, I have it covered for awhile, I told them that Dante had to work and you were going to be helping him for a little while," Laura explained

"Thanks for everything you've done in the last 48 hours," Lulu said, hugging her mom. "I guess since you aren't asking questions, you probably saw they called off the search until morning."

"Yeah I did, I planned on staying here again for as long as you need me to," Laura replied. "And Olivia should be here in about an hour or so."

"Okay," Lulu sighed.

"Do you want to talk?" Laura asked.

"I wouldn't know what to say," Lulu whispered. "It's like it's another one of my nightmares, I don't know whether to convince myself that everything is going to be okay or that it's all a dream and I'm going to wake up any minutes now."

"Well, I hate to say it, but it's real this time…for once I wish I could tell you that you are having a nightmare," Laura replied.

"Where is Mia?" Lulu asked.

"She's in her pack n' play in your room," Laura said to her.

"I'm going to go check on her," Lulu said as she started out of the kitchen.

"The baby monitor is right there, I'm sure she's fine," Laura pointed to the baby monitor on the kitchen counter.

"I know, I just need to hold her for a little while," Lulu said as she stopped in the doorway to face her mom. "If she and Bridger are the only things I have left of Dante, I want to spend as much time with them as I can because I know Olivia will have to take them back to Bensonhurst with her."

As Lulu turned to walk away again, Laura gently grabbed her arm, "Do I hear Lulu Spencer-Zacchara giving up?" she questioned. "Because the Lulu I know doesn't give up."

"I'm not giving up Mom, I'm just trying to face the facts," she replied sadly.

"Don't you dare talk like that," Laura said sternly. "You go upstairs and you hold that baby all you want, but you will realize that you and those kids are Dante's will to live and you cannot give up on him."

Lulu threw her arms around Laura's neck as she started to sob, "I just don't want to lose him, Mom," she cried. "I don't think I can survive another loss like that."

"You aren't going to have to worry about that because they're going to find Dante and he's going to make it through this," Laura said, rubbing Lulu's back softly.

After allowing Laura to console her, Lulu went upstairs and took Mia out of the pack 'n play, careful not to wake her. She sat down on the bed, leaning against the headboard and holding Mia closely.

"Oh Mia, I wish I could be as carefree as you are," Lulu said, running her fingers through the baby's hair. "No matter what happens, I want you to know that I love you and your brother and I always will."

"Lulu," she heard a tiny voice call, when she looked up, she saw Bridger standing in the doorway.

"What's wrong buddy?" she asked, motioning for him to come closer. "Come here."

"I can't sleep, the storm scares me," he said, walking over to the side of the bed. "Can I call my daddy?"

"Sweetie, I don't think we'll be able to get a hold of your daddy right now," Lulu told him, it wasn't a complete lie.

"Okay," Bridger said sadly, trying not to cry as he turned to walk out of the bedroom.

"Do you want to stay in here with Mia and me and watch some TV?" Lulu wondered, he stopped and turned to face her again, nodding in response.

She pulled the covers down on the other side of the bed as Bridger climbed over her outstretched legs and got under the covers as Lulu turned on the TV.

"Your Nonna is on her way here," Lulu informed him.

"Really?" his chocolate eyes sparkled just like his father's when he grinned.

"Mmhmm," Lulu smiled and nodded, turning to cartoons. "She'll be here soon."

"Is she gonna take me and Mia home?" Bridger questioned.

"Not tonight," she told him.

"Good because I like staying here," Bridger confessed.

Lulu smiled and put an arm around the boy, "I'm glad you like staying here, buddy," she said.

Soon, Bridger fell asleep. Lulu wasn't sure how long she sat there with her arms around Dante's children and she was zoned out when Olivia lightly knocked on the doorframe, careful not to startle her or the kids.

Lulu carefully placed Mia on her bed as she got up to hug Olivia. The two embraced as Olivia began to cry, causing Lulu to cry as well. They stood there allowing each other to cry for a few moments without saying a word.

"How did you end up with Bridger and Mia in bed with you?" Olivia asked as they pulled out of the embrace and she began wiping the tears from her face.

"I just needed to hold Mia for awhile and then Bridger couldn't sleep because of the storm, so I let him watch TV, but he has obviously fallen asleep," Lulu explained.

"They can sleep downstairs with me if you'd like," Olivia offered.

"I think I'll have you take Mia, because if I'm going to be able to get any sleep at all I need to take some medicine," Lulu told her. "But since Bridger's already asleep, he can stay here, there's no use in making him move."

"Okay," Olivia said. "Your mom said she's staying here too."

"Yeah, I'm going to start in on the search tomorrow and I thought you might want to also, so she's offered to stay with the kids as long as needed," Lulu explained.

"We're going to find him, Lulu," Olivia offered.

"I know," Lulu whispered.

They all readied for bed and after checking on Tanner and Lexi, Lulu walked into her room where Olivia was sitting on the bed, watching Bridger and Mia sleep.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Olivia smiled when she noticed Lulu enter the room.

"Yeah they are," Lulu agreed, crossing the room and sitting on the edge of the bed. "They're great kids."

"Dante has done such a good job raising them," Olivia said. "He told me about Mia calling you Mama."

"Yeah, she likes to mock people and apparently that's one of her favorite words to mock," Lulu let out a laugh.

"No, I think subconsciously she knows," Olivia replied, taking Lulu's hand in hers.

"What do you mean?" Lulu wondered.

"She knows that, other than Dante, you've been the one constant in her life, you've been like a mother to her," Olivia explained.

"I love these kids as if they were my own," Lulu said.

"I just want you to know that if something were to happen to Dante, now or ever, I might have to take them back to Bensonhurst, but I'm not going to keep them from you," she said. "I want you and your children to be part of Bridger and Mia's lives…if that's what you would want."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Lulu said as they both smiled.

_So what are we thinking right now? Is Dante dead or alive? What's going to happen if Olivia ends up having to take the kids back to Bensonhurst, how will everyone cope?_


	18. Lost Love

_So here we go…you will finally find out Dante's fate. I won't waste your time with blabbing this time :)_

**Chapter 18 – Lost Love**

Despite the medication Dr. Winters had given to help her sleep, Lulu still found herself tossing and turning most of the night. No matter how hard she tried, her thought kept drifting back to Dante. Where was he? Was he scared? Or in pain?

She had been afraid to get out of bed because it was still storming and Bridger seemed to be sleeping well. He just needed to feel the comfort of having someone there to calm his fears, which was exactly what Lulu needed as well. And surprisingly enough, having Bridger there was somewhat calming, because she knew that he needed her right now more than ever, whether he knew it or not.

Eventually the storms passed and Lulu rolled over to see what time it was…almost 5:30. She got out of bed, careful not to wake Bridger. Walking over into her closet, she pulled the door closed and turned on the light so it wouldn't bother the child asleep in her bed. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before going into the bathroom to change and ready for the day. She knew the coffee had started brewing at 5, as it did every morning, and she needed some caffeine in her system to help her make it through the day.

When stepped onto the landing at the bottom of the stairs, Olivia raised her head and looked up from where she was seated in the arm chair in the living room, startling Lulu by her movement.

"I'm sorry," Lulu whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Oh no, I wasn't sleeping, haven't done much of that all night," Olivia confessed as Lulu crossed the room and sat on the arm of the couch.

"I haven't either, even with my medicine, I was awake most of the night," Lulu replied. "I was going to get some coffee, then go over to Dante's to get the kids some more clothes and stuff."

"Did Bridger sleep okay?" Olivia wondered as they both got up to go into the kitchen.

"Yeah, he slept fine after he came in there with me," Lulu replied.

"That's good," Olivia said.

"I just hope he'll hold off the questions about Dante until we get some news first," Lulu replied, taking a coffee mug and a travel mug out of the cabinet and filling them with coffee.

"I do too," Olivia said quietly.

The two fixed their coffee and talked a few more minutes before Lulu left to go to Dante's.

When she walked into the house, she tried not to let herself get caught up in the moment, but it was no use. All the memories came rushing back, especially those from only two nights before when Dante was so good to her. It seemed so long ago now.

Not wanting to let her emotions get the best of her, she decided it would be best if she hurried. She grabbed a few changes of clothes for Mia and Bridger as well as a few other things they would need, putting them in a small duffel bag in Bridger's closet. Luckily, they both had accumulated things from their previous stays at her house, so she didn't need to get much.

As she was pulling into her driveway, her phone began ringing, seeing it was her brother, she answered it, "Any news on Dante?" she asked.

"No, I was just calling to let you know the civilian search party is meeting at 7 at McGruder's Landing just outside of town," he told her.

"Civilian search party…why can't we just work with the police?" she wondered, turning off her SUV, but staying inside.

"Well, you will be, it's just that after the news broke that an officer was missing, a lot of people wanted to help, so we need to have some sort of organization with this many people," Lucky explained to his sister.

"This many people?" Lulu was confused. "How many people have volunteered to help?"

"Right now we have somewhere between 20 and 30, but when I left the front desk to come to my office, there were still calls coming in," Lucky explained.

A wave of emotion hit Lulu as tears stung her eyes; she was overwhelmed by the support. For once since the warehouse exploded, she felt confident…they would find Dante today. With all the help, they would be able to cover a lot of ground.

"Lu, are you okay?" Lucky questioned

"Yeah," she said quietly. "I'm just thinking."

"Well, I will see you in a little while," Lucky said.

"See you out there," Lulu replied before they ended the call and she got out and rushed into the house.

"Is something wrong honey?" Olivia wondered as she saw Lulu rush in from the garage.

"No, I have good news actually…Lucky just called and said they have between 20 and 30 volunteers to help in the search, in addition to the search and rescue teams," Lulu said, placing the duffel bag on the table.

"That's great," Olivia agreed.

"We're meeting at 7 though and it takes about 15 minutes to get out there…" Lulu began.

"Say no more, I'm going to get ready now," Olivia said, getting up out of her chair at the kitchen table.

Lulu went upstairs, seeing her mom coming out of her bedroom as she reached the top.

"You're up and ready to greet the day," Laura noted. "Did something happen?"

"No, I just couldn't sleep…we're meeting the search party at McGruder's Landing in a little while," Lulu answered, pushing her bangs back a little.

"Okay," Laura said as they started downstairs.

"I went to Dante's and picked up some stuff for Bridger and Mia, it's on the table in the kitchen and Bridger is still asleep in my bed," she explained.

"Is there anything else I can do?" Laura wondered as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Not that I can think of," Lulu told her, and then turned to her mom, pausing for a moment before she threw her arms around Laura's neck. "Thank you for all that you're doing Mom, it really means a lot to me."

"It's not a problem, I am blessed to have you, Dante and all 4 of those children in my life," Laura replied, rubbing her hand up and down Lulu's back.

"I'm going to see if we can drive Olivia's car, that way if you need to go anywhere, Mia's car seat base is already in the Expedition," Lulu explained as they ended their embrace.

"What do I say if the kids start asking questions?" Laura asked

"Just tell them that Dante's working and Olivia is helping me at the office," Lulu said, going into the kitchen.

"Alright," Laura replied

A few minutes later, Olivia was ready, they grabbed some bottles of water and headed out to McGruder's Landing. There were at least 40 volunteers there to help in the search. Lucky explained how the day was going to work; they would be in groups of 3 and 4, each group with an officer. They would head out and all start in different places, focusing on the riverbanks. He also told them to be prepared for whatever they find.

After he finished with the orientation, he told them they could break up into their own groups and they would be heading out shortly, Lulu felt a hand grab hers, she turned to see who it was, "Maxie," her arms flew around her friend.

"Did you really think I would let you go through this without me?" Maxie wondered. "Spinelli wanted to be here, but he's trying to figure out how someone was able to get into the building undetected to rig the explosives."

"I'm glad you could be here," Lulu said before her phone rang, she saw it was Sam. "Hey how's Jason?"

"He's critical, his brain started swelling last night and they're especially worried about that because of his previous brain injury, so they're keeping him sedated to try to keep the swelling down, which so far that has worked," Sam explained.

"Well, at least it's working," Lulu replied.

"I just wanted to call to tell you that I wish I could help in the search for Dante, but I'm afraid to leave Jason," Sam said.

"No, it's fine, Jason needs you, so you focus on him right now," Lulu replied. "How's Sonny?"

"He's doing well, I'm not real sure what all happened to him, he's in quite a bit of pain, but they're keeping him pretty drugged up to keep the pain level down," Sam explained. "He wanted out of the hospital to help look for Dante, I think Michael, Morgan, Molly and Kristina were supposed to be coming out to help."

Lulu looked up to see the four adolescents walking toward her, "Yeah, they're here," she said.

"Good," Sam replied. "Well, take care and try to stay positive, okay?"

"I will," Lulu told her.

"Call me if there's anything I can do," Sam said.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later," Lulu replied before the call ended.

"Mom's running late, but can she go with your group?" Morgan asked Lulu as they got close enough.

"Of course she can," Lulu smiled, hugging each one of her cousins and Molly before turning to Olivia. "These are Dante's brothers, sister and cousin."

"You're Dante's mom," Molly noted with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet all of you too," Olivia said. "How's Sonny?"

"He's in a lot of pain, but they're keeping it under control," Michael explained.

"That's good," Olivia said.

After the groups split, half of them were taken by boat to the other side of the river. Lulu, Olivia, Carly and Maxie stayed on the side where they met, Lucky was escorting their group and had made sure to stay near Lulu.

"Shouldn't we be spread out a little more?" Lulu wondered. "We've been out here for almost an hour and you haven't left my side."

"Lulu, I don't want to sound negative, but you have to keep in mind that we might not find Dante alive and I don't think that's something you're completely prepared for," Lucky explained

"Maybe not, but at least I would know where he was and we wouldn't have to wonder for the rest of our lives what happened to him," Lulu replied.

Just then Lucky's phone began to ring, "It's Ronnie," he told Lulu before answering the phone. "Spencer…okay…right…yeah, thanks for letting me know."

"What is it?" Lulu asked before Lucky even pressed the button to end the phone call.

"They found Dante," he told her.

"Then let's go," Lulu said as she started in the direction of McGruder's Landing.

"Lulu wait…" Lucky said, grabbing her arm gently. "They don't know what the extent of his injuries is, he's unconscious and his breathing is shallow."

"Can one of us go in the ambulance with him?" Olivia wondered.

"Actually, they're loading him in the ambulance as we speak, so we wouldn't have time to get over there," Lucky said. "But I will take you and Lulu to GH myself."

Lucky had been speeding through town with lights flashing and sirens blaring, but Lulu was coming real close to climbing in the front seat and stomping on the gas pedal herself.

"Can you please drive faster?" she wondered.

"Lulu, I can't, it's not safe to drive faster than this in city limits," he told her. "Chances are you're not going to get to see him right when we get there."

Lulu sighed and sat back in her seat, trying to keep her nerves at bay.

When they finally arrived at the hospital, Lulu and Olivia both jumped out of the car at the ER entrance before Lucky had come to a complete stop.

"Epiphany, where's Dante?" Lulu asked, who she saw the woman standing at the nurses' station.

"He's in cubicle 2, but you can't go in there just yet," Epiphany explained, stepping in front of Lulu and Olivia.

Just then Maya stepped out of the cubicle, Lulu rushed over to him, "How is he?" she asked

"Lulu, you know I can't share that information with you," Maya replied.

"This is his mom," Lulu pointed out.

"Good, I have some papers I need you to sign," Maya told Olivia as she started toward the nurses' station.

"Why?" Olivia wondered.

"Because we're going to need to do emergency surgery on your son," Maya said, getting the papers from Epiphany for Olivia to sign. "We're waiting on his scans, but he has signs of internal bleeding and as soon as those come back, we're going to take him in for surgery."

"Can we see him?" Lulu asked.

"Let me check," Maya said as she went back to the cubicle.

Olivia finished signing the papers, then handing them back to Epiphany and they returned to wait outside of the cubicle Dante was in.

A few moments later Maya returned, "His scans show the internal bleeding, luckily it's slight, otherwise he would probably be dead right now, the x-rays we took also show that his left arm is broken and two of his ribs were cracked and one of them punctured his right lung, so between the internal bleeding, as well as struggling to breathe, he is still unconscious, so due to the lack of oxygen and loss of blood, there could be possible brain damage, but we won't know until he wakes up," she explained. "So you can see him for a moment, but we need to get him into an OR as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Maya," Lulu said to her almost-sister-in-law.

When they stepped into the cubicle, Lulu let out a gasp, Olivia grasped Lulu's shoulders as they moved closer, "I'll give you a moment alone," Maya said before excusing herself.

Lulu looked at his face, covered in scrapes and bruising that were very visible due to the paleness of his skin, then to the machines that were helping him breathe and making sure he was actually still alive, it was all so overwhelming, "Dante," she wept, taking his hand in hers. "I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'm always going to love you."

She kissed Dante's forehead, then moved aside to let Olivia talk to her son, "We're here for you son, we're waiting on you, so you fight like hell and come back to us," she told him, lightly running her hand down his cheek before kissing his temple.

"Okay, we need to get moving," Maya told them quietly as she came into the room.

The nurses came in and prepared to move Dante to an OR, Lulu took Maya's hand, "Take care of him," she said.

"I will," Maya assured her. "You can wait in the conference room if you'd like, we'll make sure to keep you updated."

"Thanks Maya," Lulu said as they walked out of the cubicle.

Olivia and Lulu stepped into the conference room and Lulu let out a sigh, "I need to call my mom and let her know what's going on, but we need to figure out what we're going to tell the kids," She said.

"We could just tell them he's sick, that's close enough to the truth, but simple enough for them to understand," Olivia suggested as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"But what if something happens while he's in surgery?" Lulu panicked. "They need to be here."

"You live 15 minutes away, I'm sure your mom could have them here in no time," Olivia told her.

"What if he doesn't have that much time?" Lulu questioned. "Two minutes can make a world of difference in Dante's life right now."

"Lulu, listen," Olivia placed her coffee cup on the table and put her hands on Lulu's shoulders. "I know you need a distraction and right now it seems like having the kids here would be a good idea, but I think it would end up stressing you out even more."

"But—" she began.

"No buts," Olivia held a finger up to silence Lulu. "You're used to having a million things to do; no waiting allowed in your world, I understand, I'm the same way, but right now we are being forced out of our comfort zone and as much as I hate it, I'm thankful that I have someone by my side who understands what it's like."

Lulu gave Olivia weak smile and smiled as Olivia took her hand. "Me too," she told her.

"Now…" she led Lulu toward the couch. "You need to sit down and try to get some rest because when Dante wakes up, he's going to need us here fighting for him."

Lulu sat down and leaned her head against the wall behind her as Olivia took the other couch that was in the room. She pulled out her cell phone to call her mom, the phone rang a few times before someone picked up, "Hi Mama," Lexi answered happily after seeing Lulu's name on the caller ID.

"Hi Baby," Lulu sighed tiredly. "Where's Grandma?"

"She's in the kitchen fixing some lunch," Lexi replied. "When are you and Nonna and Dante coming back?"

"I'm not sure sweetie," Lulu said. "Can you take Grandma the phone?"

"Yeah," Lexi answered. "Can we have some of that cake?"

"I'll talk to Grandma about it and if she doesn't care to give you any, you can have some," Lulu told her daughter.

"Yay!" Lexi squealed. "Grandma, it's for you, it's Mama."

"How's he doing?" Laura asked. "I was looking online for updates because I didn't want to chance the kids seeing the TV."

"They had to do emergency surgery and Maya was part of the team, so I don't think she wanted to tell me exactly how bad, but he does have internal bleeding, a broken arm, some cracked ribs and a punctured lung and they said that the loss of oxygen could have caused brain damage, but we wouldn't know until he woke up," Lulu explained.

"But you were able to see him before he went into surgery, right?" Laura wondered.

"We did, but he was unconscious, so we didn't get to talk to him," Lulu told her.

"Well, if there's anything I can do, just let me know," Laura said.

"I will," Lulu replied. "Oh…if you don't care, let the kids have some of that cake, maybe it will get their minds off of us coming home."

"I can do that," Laura assured her daughter.

"I love you Mom," Lulu said.

"I love you too, sweet girl," Laura replied before they said their goodbyes.

Lulu let her eyes close as her head leaned against the wall once again and from pure exhaustion and divine intervention, she fell asleep. The next thing she knew, Maya was gently nudging her to wake her up.

"Is he okay?" she asked when she sat Maya and Olivia standing in front of her.

"He's still critical, we got all the bleeding stopped and his lung partially patched, but he ingested water out of the river, so we have to keep a drain tube in it to make sure infection doesn't set up," Maya explained. "There isn't anything we can do for his ribs, they'll heal on their own, so now we just have to wait for him to wake up and his arm is in a cast."

"What about the worry of brain damage?" Olivia questioned.

"Well, he isn't comatose, so that's a good sign, but we won't know anything until he wakes up," Maya explained

"Can we go see him?" Olivia asked, Lulu remained silent as she took it all in.

"Yeah, he's in ICU room 5," Maya replied.

Lulu and Olivia made their way to the ICU floor and to Dante's room, Lulu turned to Olivia and asked, "Do you want to go in first?"

"No, I want you to go in with me," Olivia took Lulu's hand. "He needs you just as much as he needs me."

They walked into the room together to see Dante with various tubes and wires coming from his body, even more so than before. A sob escaped Lulu's lips as she stepped over to Dante's side and took his hand in hers.

Olivia walked over to the other side of his bed and ran her fingers through his hair, then leaned down to kiss his forehead, "We're here for you baby, me and Lulu…and Bridger and Mia are at her house waiting for you to come home, so you have to fight like hell to get back to us."

"Do you think he can hear us?" Lulu asked

"I don't know, but it's worth a shot," Olivia told her.

Michael and Kristina appeared in the doorway, "We heard he was out of surgery and Dad wanted us to come check on him," Michael said.

Olivia head shot up and she looked at the two young adults, "You tell Sonny not to worry about Dante, his lifestyle is the reason Dante's lying in this bed fighting for his life," she seethed.

"Olivia…" Lulu began, but Kristina stopped her.

"No, it's okay Lulu, I understand where Olivia's coming from, I blame my dad too, so if it makes it easier for you, we can leave," Kristina said

Lulu stepped out into the hall with them, "I hope you know that she's not angry with the two of you, she's angry with your dad," she told them.

"We know," Michael replied. "I just don't want to upset her more than she already is and I know that having us here right now is probably doing that, so we'll come back some other time."

Lulu stood in the hall talking to Michael and Kristina for a few more minutes before going back into Dante's ICU room.

"I think if you're going to be here for awhile, I'm going to run back to your house and get some things to keep us occupied since we'll probably be here awhile, is there anything in particular you need me to get?" Olivia asked

"No, it's okay, I think only one of us can stay with him overnight, so I'll go home later and you can stay with him," Lulu replied, her voice solemn.

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked, "We could switch off nights or something."

"Yeah, you're his mom, you know how to take care of him when he's sick, so I think it's best that you stay with him," Lulu explained.

Olivia eyed Lulu, "If you're sure…but if you change your mind, you tell me," she said.

"I'm sure," Lulu smiled weakly.

"Well, I'll be back in a little while, call me if he wakes up," Olivia said.

"I will," Lulu assured her, thankful to have some time alone with Dante, she just hoped he would wake up before Olivia returned so she could talk to him.

After Olivia left, Lulu began talking to Dante about anything she could thinking, mostly to keep herself calm. She had been sitting there for nearly an house and was beginning to run out of things to say, so she rested her head on the edge of his bed. That's when she felt fingers run through her hair, she expected it to be Olivia returning, but when she raised her head up to see Dante looking down at her with a smile on his face, he pulled the oxygen mask from his face, "Hey beautiful," he said weakly.

"Hi," she replied. "How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"

"No," he said. "What happened?"

"You were in an explosion at Sonny's warehouse," she answered. "I'm going to go get a doctor to make sure you're okay," she said, starting to get up, but he grabbed her hand.

"Kiss me first," he told her.

She leaned in like she was going to kiss him, but instead put his oxygen mask back on him, "I'll be right back."

Lulu found Patrick at the nurses' station; he had been on Dante's surgical team since they feared brain damage. Patrick did all of his tests on Dante to make sure nothing else was wrong, he didn't think Dante had any brain damage, but scheduled more tests for the next morning. He also asked him if he remembered what happened, not surprisingly, he didn't remember much after walking into the warehouse.

When he left, Lulu sat back down next to Dante's bed, he held his hand out to take hers. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing her demeanor.

Lulu began to cry when she placed her hand in his, "I can't do this, Dante," she sobbed.

"Lu, if it's too hard to see me like this, I get it, I'm pretty messed up from what I can tell, so if it upsets you, I would understand if you can't sit with me," he told her.

"Dante, I don't think you understand," she let out a sigh. "I can't be with you anymore."

"Lulu, no," Dante pulled the oxygen mask down once again, "If this is because you're afraid I'm not going to get better, I'm going to be fine."

She put his mask back on for him, "You need to keep that on if you plan on getting better," she said. "After Johnny died , I swore to myself that I would never get that close to the mob again, and with you, I've tried to push it out of my mind, but now that this has happened, I can't put it out of my mind."

"But Lulu, I'm not in the mob," Dante argued.

"Dante…Sonny is one of the most powerful mob bosses on the east coast and you're his son. I don't know if you understand how that works, but it puts a target on you and your entire family," she explained. "And if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to allow myself to get closer with you if I know you could be ripped from my life the way Johnny was."

"That's the thing…you or I could die at any given moment, you have to take chances in life," he said.

"I have to guard my heart, Dante, and I have to protect Lexi and Tanner," Lulu said. "If I were to lose another person who is that close to me, I don't think I would survive."

"So the answer is to just shut me out?" Dante wondered.

"Dante, if I was you, I would pack up my kids and my things and I would Port Charles and never look back, shield your children from that lifestyle and much as possible," she told him.

"You could go with me, Lulu, we'll take the kids and move to the city, forget all about the mob and Port Charles," he suggested.

"You know I can't do something like that, my career is here, my children were born and raised here, all of our family and friends are here," Lulu reminded him. "Packing up and moving to New York City with Mom and her boyfriend is out of the question."

"So you're not even going to put up a fight?" he asked her, his eyes welling up with tears. "This is it, things get messy and you just pack up and go home?"

"I've tried, Dante," she told him, tears falling more rapidly now. "I've tried to convince myself that everything is going to be fine, but the truth is, my greatest fear almost came true last night and I can't let it happen, and in order to make that possible, I can't allow myself to get closer to you."

"Lulu, don't do this…" he whispered, watching her pick up her purse off the floor.

"I have to," she said, gently letting go of his hand before turning to walk out the door.

Once she got into the hallway and around the corner, she sank to the floor as the sobs wracked her body. She didn't know who she was hurting most, herself or Dante, but she knew she deserved the pain she was feeling for breaking his heart.

_So I hope you don't completely hate me for that one. At least Dante is alive. Let me know what you thought._


	19. Back and Forth

_So I thought I would get an update in before I have to take a break from writing to get the semester wrapped up. Only to start my summer semester the Monday after finals. Nice, right? But by the end of the year, I will be a college graduate :)_

**Chapter 19 – Back and Forth**

Lulu sat on her couch, replaying parts of the day of the breakup, which had been 3 weeks earlier. She had taken a taxi home that day and luckily, she made it there before Olivia left. It seemed she ran away from a lot of things in her life when life got too hard, but she knew she had to have the guts to tell Olivia she broke her son's heart.

"_What's going on? Did he wake up? Why didn't you call?" Olivia asked as Lulu came in the front door._

"_He's fine for the most part," Lulu said. "Where's Mom and the kids?"_

"_They're in the backyard," Olivia replied. "Why?"_

"_I need to talk to you," Lulu told her as they went toward Olivia's room._

_When they sat down on the bed was the first time Olivia got a good look at Lulu and noticed she had been crying, "What happened, honey?" she asked, wiping the tears rolling down her cheeks._

"_I knew I had to tell you this in person and I understand if you hate me or think I'm a horrible person," Lulu began. "I broke up with Dante."_

"_What? Why?" Olivia questioned._

"_I can't do it, I can't get close to someone again just to have them ripped away by the mob," Lulu confessed. "Last night was a wake up call for me, a reminder that the mob ruins everything that's good and like I told Dante, if I were to lose him like I lost Johnny, I don't think I would be able to survive."_

"_Honey," Olivia pulled Lulu into her embrace. "I kept Dante away from his father for nearly 30 years because of the mob. You think I would have the right to judge you for a decision you made regarding the mob?"_

"_But Dante's your son…" Lulu pointed out as she sat up to look Olivia in the eye._

"_Right and I'm going to comfort him and take care of him, but being mad at you for making a choice to protect yourself and your children at all cost, that's something I can't do, because I understand completely," Olivia told her. "I know you love Dante, but I also understand that last night's reminder hit a little too close to home."_

"_Thank you for being so understanding," Lulu said, hugging Olivia again. "You can stay here as long as you need, don't think I'm kicking you out."_

"_Well, I had decided last night that I would take some of my vacation from work to help Dante out, but when he comes home, I'll have to stay over there since there won't be much he'll be able to do," Olivia explained. "I'll have to help with the kids."_

_Lulu looked down at her hands and started to cry again, "I don't know what I'm going to do without Bridger and Mia," she cried._

_Olivia wrapped her arms around Lulu again, "We'll figure something out, I'm sure Dante won't keep them from you after all you've done for them," she said._

"_Dante probably hates me right now, I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up moving back to Bensonhurst just to spite me and I wouldn't blame him one bit," Lulu replied._

"_You let me worry about the kids…for right now, they'll be here because I'll need to stay with Dante at the hospital," Olivia said. "After that, we'll figure something out."_

"_I want to thank you again for being so understanding Olivia, I know any other mother would have her claws out ready to kill me," Lulu said._

"_Well, I'm upset that Dante's probably heartbroken right now, but like I said before, I completely understand, I'm the queen of running from the mob, I know what that feels like," Olivia replied._

When Dante got out of the hospital the following weekend, he half expected Lulu to be there waiting to bring him home, admitting she made a mistake. Instead, he was greeted by his mother and two smiling children, for which he was thankful.

"_Are we going back to Lulu's, Nonna?" Bridger asked as they got into the car._

"_No sweetie, we're going home to your house," Olivia replied, pulling out of the parking lot._

"_But if you're going back to Lulu's, I want to go back to Lulu's," Bridger said._

"_What's he talking about?" Dante wondered._

_Olivia glanced at her grandson before focusing back on the road, "Honey, I'm staying at your house with you until Daddy gets better, then I'm going to have to go home," she told Bridger before she began speaking to Dante. "He's just gotten used to being with Tanner and Lexi at Lulu's, he'll be fine once we all get settled in."_

"_Have you talked to him about the breakup?" Dante asked quietly._

"_No, I thought it might be best if he heard in from you in the way that you want to tell him," Olivia said._

"_I don't really know what to tell him," Dante sighed, looking out the window._

_Olivia rubbed Dante's shoulder gently, "Well, there's no hurry, Laura and I plan to keep it as normal as possible for them for now," she told him._

"_How's she doing?" he questioned, still looking out the window._

"_She's pretty upset, she's been keeping herself busy, but I know she's heartbroken over the whole thing," Olivia said. "And I know she hurt you Dante, but this whole situation was too close for comfort for her."_

"_I know, but she's not fixing anything by ending things with me," he said quietly. "It's hurting her, it's hurting me and it's hurting the kids, no one wins."_

In fact, he had expected to see Lulu at least once in the last few weeks, but to no avail. Once he was able to move around more, he stopped by the Crimson offices, only to have Maxie tell him Lulu had taken Lexi and Tanner to Manhattan for a few days to do some shopping for school clothes.

"_Why didn't Dante, Bridger and Mia come with us?" Lexi asked as they sat in a frozen yogurt shop in Manhattan._

"_Well sweetie, that's part of the reason I brought you guys here, I wanted to tell you that we won't be seeing as much of Dante, Bridger and Mia anymore," Lulu explained._

"_Why?" Tanner questioned._

"_Well, Dante and I decided it would be best if we didn't see each other as much as we used to," Lulu said. "But, we're going to do our best to make sure Bridger gets to come over and you get to go over there as much as possible."_

"_What about Mia?" Lexi wondered before taking a bite of her frozen yogurt._

"_That will be up to Dante, if he wants to let her come over, then she can," Lulu said._

"_Is that why you've been sad?" Lexi asked_

"_Yeah, it makes me a little sad, but having you two around everyday makes me happier," Lulu smiled at her children._

School clothes were the last thing on his mind, but it was something that had to be done. Lulu had apparently moved on and he needed to also. Olivia accompanied him to get the things Bridger would need for second grade before leaving later in the afternoon to go back home to Bensonhurst. It was going to be rough getting back into the swing of things without his mom or Lulu there to help out, but Kristina had been by a few times and offered to help out in anyway she could before she left to go back to school.

"_Is there anything else you need me to do?" Kristina asked, pulling her purse over her shoulder._

"_No, I think we're good," Dante replied. "Thank you for helping out."_

"_No problem, I'm glad I get to spend time with you guys before I leave to go back to college," Kristina replied "Especially now that you're healing."_

"_How's Sonny been?" Dante wondered._

"_He's doing a lot better," Kristina replied._

"_That's good," Dante nodded._

"_Have you heard from Lulu?" Kristina questioned._

"_No, I haven't and I don't really expect to," Dante answered._

"_Keep your head up, I'm sure she'll come around soon enough and realize she made a mistake," Kristina told him._

It had been a rough few weeks in Lulu's household, as well. Although Laura and Olivia made sure to keep things as normal as possible for the kids, every so often Lexi or Tanner would catch Lulu crying. Her heart and her head were in constant battle, she knew history could repeat itself, but she also knew she couldn't live without Dante. It might kill her if she lost him to the mob, but she also knew it was killing her to not see him.

"_Sweetheart, why don't you just go talk to him?" Laura suggested._

"_Because, I'm sure he hates me, I've done enough damage to last a lifetime," Lulu said._

"_You never know until you try…" she told her daughter._

When she woke up that morning, she realized it was Saturday. For a moment, she was happy, thinking Dante would be bringing Bridger and Mia over while he went to work, but then quickly realized he hadn't done that since before that fateful weekend 3 weeks earlier. But she got out of bed and went through the routine that she had made as her new normal for Saturdays.

Then she realized she hadn't stuffed and addressed the invitations for Lexi and Tanner's birthday party that was in a couple of weeks, half-cursing and half-thanking herself for not getting it done. It was something that would keep her mind off of other things for at least awhile.

"Mama, why are you so sad?" Tanner questioned as he joined his mom on the couch, bringing her out of her daze.

"Well sweetie, I made a choice that had made me very unhappy because it's something I can't fix very easily," Lulu tried to explain.

"Why not?" he wondered.

"Because I hurt someone's feelings and that person isn't ready to forgive me yet," she answered. "And it makes me sad because I want them to forgive me so we can be friends again."

"Did you say you're sorry and tell them you were wrong?" he asked

"No, I haven't," Lulu admitted.

"Maybe you should do that," Tanner said.

Lulu couldn't believe it…she was being counseled by her 7-year-old son. What makes it worse is that he was right.

She kissed him on the top of the head, "Thank you baby, I think I'll do that," Lulu told him.

The front door opened, it was Maxie, letting herself in, of course.

"Come on, we're not spending another Saturday sulking, we're going shopping," she told her friend, walking over to the couch and grabbing Lulu by the wrist.

Lulu allowed Maxie to pull her off the couch, "Actually, I wasn't planning on sitting on the couch all day, I have something I need to do and I'm glad you're here," she replied.

"Oooh, what kind of trouble are we going to stir up today?" Maxie grinned.

"Well, I need to go deliver these invitations and I need you to stay here with Lexi and Tanner," Lulu replied.

"Why can't you just take them with you?" she questioned. "After all, it is their birthday party."

"Because as my wonderful son, here, reminded me that I need to apologize to someone," Lulu said, ruffling Tanner's hair as he stood next to her.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Maxie worried. "I mean, you did make the decision you did for a reason."

"He deserves an apology," Lulu replied.

"Mom, can I go outside and play?" Tanner asked

"Yeah, but don't go into the pool area," Lulu told him before the boy took off toward the backdoor.

"Do you think he's going to be receptive to an apology?" she asked. "I mean, you did break his heart and it hasn't even been a month yet."

"I don't know, but I need to give it a try," Lulu said. "So will you stay with them for a little while?"

"I guess," Maxie sighed, sitting down on the couch.

"Thank you, I won't be gone long, I promise," Lulu told her.

"So you're ruling out the make-up sex then, huh?" Maxie asked Lulu, who was digging her car keys out of her purse.

"What?" Lulu questioned.

"Nothing," Maxie shook her head.

Lulu went to the bottom of the stairs and yelled for Lexi, who appeared at the top of them a few minutes later, "I have some errands to run, but Aunt Maxie is going to stay here with you and Tanner for a little while," she told her daughter.

"Yay!" Lexi squealed as she ran down the stairs.

"Hey Lexi Lu," Maxie said happily as Lexi hugged her.

Lulu went to Dante's first before she lost her nerve, she didn't even know if he was home, but she had to take that chance. She knocked on the door and could hear footsteps on the inside.

When Dante opened the front door, he was taken aback when he saw Lulu standing there, "Hi," he said.

"Hi," she returned, then paused. "Can I come in for a minute?"

"Sure," he moved aside to let her in before closing the door behind her, his mother's words about not being rude to guests resonating in his mind. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, I'm okay," she said, then handed him the envelope, he eyed her cautiously, and it pained her to know she had been the one who caused him to put his guard up. "It's an invitation to Tanner and Lexi's birthday party in two weeks."

He noticed it read 'Dante, Bridger and Mia' in her handwriting, "Thanks…have a seat," he told her.

"Are the kids here?" she wondered as she sat down on the couch, as did he.

"No, I worked 11-7, so they stayed with Kristina last night, and then she was going to give me time to sleep after I got off work," Dante explained.

"I didn't mean to wake you, I can come back some other time," she said, pointing toward the door.

"No, it's fine, I slept a little while, but not well, so I got up, she's going to bring them home soon," he told her.

Lulu wasn't sure where to start, "I just want to apologize for hurting you, Dante," she said. "That was the last thing I wanted to do."

"Then why did you?" he wondered. "Breaking up with me isn't going to keep me from getting killed Lulu."

"But if I don't let myself get closer to you, if something were to happen, it wouldn't hurt me as bad," she tried to explain her rationale, but even when she said it, it sounded ridiculous. "I was scared Dante, I let my fears get the best of me, I needed someone to talk it out with, but you weren't there."

"Oh, so this is my fault?" He snapped.

"No, that's not what I meant," she answered as the tears began to fall again. "I just…I'm used to having you there to talk to, but I laid in bed that night and I couldn't sleep and I just had all these thoughts going through my head at once and I broke, I decided if I pushed you away, I wouldn't get hurt as bad."

"And how did that work out for you?" he questioned.

"Not well, I can barely hold myself together, even the kids know there's something wrong," she said. "I love you Dante and you were right, I need to take chances in life. I don't care if your father is Sonny Corinthos, I want to be with you. I don't want to have one foot in and one foot out anymore, I want to love you with everything I've got."

"You probably should have thought about that _before_ you decided I wasn't worth it," Dante spat, standing up slowly, holding his ribs with his arm that didn't have a cast on it.

"Please don't, Dante," she pleaded, standing up to look him in the eye.

"I've given up on us, Lulu, I given up on the idea that we could be a family, I've started the healing process and I'm not going through that again," he retorted. "This whole relationship you've been hot and cold, you pull me in only to push me away again, I know it's not easy after what happened with Johnny, I get that, but it makes me feel like you don't love me enough to even try,"

"You know that's not true," Lulu shook her head, crying even harder now.

As angry as he was with her, knowing that he made those tears fall down her cheeks made him feel horrible. He really just wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her, but wouldn't allow himself to do it. Instead, he took the birthday invitation out of the envelope and looked at it.

"I'll call your mom to figure out something so Bridger can come to the party," he said, avoiding her gaze as she stood in his living room, baring her soul in every tear she shed. "I'm sure you're a busy person, so you can go now."

Lulu wiped the tears from her cheeks, gaining a little composure before she started for the door. But before she could grab the door handle, the door opened and in came Bridger and Kristina, carrying Mia's carrier.

"Lulu!" Bridger shrieked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Hey buddy," Lulu replied, also putting her arms around the boy.

Then she leaned down to see if Mia was awake in her car seat, only to find her gnawing on a toy and mumbling "Mamama," in the midst of chewing on the toy.

Mia's eyes lit up when she saw Lulu, "Hi pretty girl," she smiled at the baby.

"Apparently that's her new favorite word, she's been saying it ever since Dante dropped them off last night," Kristina said.

Lulu flashed another weak smile in Mia's direction, trying not to break down in tears again, "I better go," she said.

"You don't want to hold her before you leave?" Kristina questioned, hoping to force Dante and Lulu closer together.

Lulu glanced at Dante, "No, I should get going," she said hesitantly before she pulled Bridger into another hug. "Bye buddy, I'll see you soon."

"Bye," Bridger said.

Lulu couldn't deliver the rest of the invitations after her encounter with Dante, instead she went back home and cried while sitting in her driveway. Not only had she broke the heart of the man she loved, but she turned him bitter. That was something she would never forgive herself for.

Two more weeks passed, school was in full swing and the kids were excited for their party to be held that afternoon.

"Mama, will you put this headband in my hair to where it looks good?" Lexi asked, coming out onto the deck in the backyard where Lulu was finishing up with the decorations for their rock star-themed birthday party and Lucky was getting ready to start grilling steak, chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill.

"Of course I will," Lulu smiled at her daughter, dressed in an outfit Maxie had bought her for the soul purpose of Lexi wearing it on her birthday.

Lulu slipped the headband on Lexi's head and fixed her bangs, "Thank you," she told her mom.

"You're welcome, let me check out this outfit," Lulu said, looking at her daughter's clothing. "You've grown up on me Lexi Lu, I can't believe you and Tanner are 8-years-old."

"Mama," Lexi groaned.

"I'm sorry, you and your brother are growing up too fast, I want you to stay little forever," Lulu replied, cupping Lexi's face in her hands.

"When's everyone going to be here?" she asked.

"Very soon…Grandma left a little while ago to go pick up Bridger, and Aunt Carly called to say she and Joss are on their way over," Lulu explained

"Are Dante and Mia coming?" Lexi questioned.

"No baby," Lulu said sadly as they walked back into the house. "Dante called and told Grandma that Mia isn't feeling well, so he's keeping her at home while Bridger comes to the party."

"Knock, knock," Carly's voice came through the living room as they heard the front door close.

"Hi," Lulu smiled, making her way into the living room. "How are you?"

"We're good," Carly said. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"No, Mom's been here helping before she had to go pick up Bridger, so I think we got just about everything," Lulu told her, then noticed the gifts in Josslyn's hands. "Lexi, will you show Joss where yours and Bridger's gift tables are out on the deck?"

"Yep," she replied, then turned to her cousin. "Come on Joss."

"So Dante isn't coming?" Carly wondered, following Lulu back into the kitchen.

"No, Mia wasn't feeling well, so he decided to keep her home," Lulu said. "Not that he would have come anyway."

"Well, at least he's not trying to use the kids to hurt you, so that goes to show how much he cares about them," Carly replied. "Have you got to see Mia?"

"Not since that day I went over there," she told her cousin as she began taking trays of food out of the refrigerator. "But Mom is trying to force me out of my hole. I won't call him and she won't call him for me."

"Good for her," Carly said honestly.

"Carly!" Lulu exclaimed.

"What?" she questioned. "I think you're being dumb, Lulu. Dante is one of the best things that's happened to you since Johnny passed away and you just gave up on that."

"I tried to fix it, he's done," Lulu defended. "I don't want to make things worse for him by calling in all the time begging for forgiveness."

"He'll come around, you just have to be patient," Carly told her, putting her arms around her cousin, then stepping back to wipe the tears away. "Don't cry now, it's your babies' birthday, you should be happy."

"I am happy," she smiled as they heard the door open and close again, then Laura appeared with Bridger in the kitchen a few moments later. "Hey Bridger, how are you?"

"Good," he replied, hugging Lulu. "Where's Tanner?"

"He was upstairs taking a shower, but he should be out by now, if you want to go up there, you can and if he's not out you can play in his room until he's out or Lexi and Josslyn are in the backyard," Lulu explained.

"Okay," Bridger replied before going toward the stairs in the living room.

Lulu looked at Laura, "How's Mia?"

"She's sick, but nothing too bad, I think it's just a virus, he said she's been running a fever and she doesn't want to eat, but she was sleeping when I got there," Laura explained. "He said she won't let him put her down."

"Poor baby," Lulu said sadly, she would have loved more than anything to go over there and hold Mia until she was better.

"What else needs to be done?" Carly wondered, changing the subject before Lulu started to cry again.

"Well, I don't want to take the food outside until people start getting here, Lucky's grilling things, so that should be ready about the time everyone gets here," Lulu said.

A little while later, after eating lunch, eating cake, opening presents and playing games, the kids and some of the adults jumped into the pool, while others watched from the sidelines.

"So Sam, how is Jason?" Laura asked as she, Sam, Maxie, Lulu and Carly all sat at the large patio table.

"He's doing a lot better, he's finally got out of the hospital yesterday and I wanted to stay home with him, but he insisted Dani and I come to the birthday party," Sam explained.

"That's good to hear, he's never been one to put himself before others," Laura replied, noticing how preoccupied Lulu seemed.

Carly also noticed it, "Hey," she got her cousin's attention. "What's wrong?"

"Just a little sad, I guess," Lulu answered. "Tanner and Lexi both asked specifically if Dante was coming to their party, no one else, just Dante."

"Well, he's been a big part of their life for the last 6 months, of course they're going to ask where he is," Sam said.

"I know, but I feel like I let them down by screwing things up with Dante," Lulu replied, playing with her phone on the patio table.

"Sweetheart, we all make mistakes, sometimes those mistakes are bigger than others, but you have to keep moving," Laura explained. "You will probably never forget the mistakes you've made, but you have to forgive yourself in order to move on."

Just then Lulu's phone beeped, signaling she had a text message, _I know you're busy with the party, but please call me ASAP, it's important._

"I'll be right back," she said, excusing herself into the house, and then calling Dante's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I got your text," she told him, she could hear Mia in the background screaming.

"Mia's fever is 101.1 and she won't stop crying, I can't console her Lulu, I don't know what to do," he spoke quickly and in a panicked tone. "I need your help, or if you're too busy, maybe you could send your mom or someone, or I could bring her over there if you can't get away from the party."

"No, I'll be right there," Lulu said as tears flooded to her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Laura asked as Lulu went back out to the patio table.

"That was Dante, Mia's fever is 101.1, he can't console her and it's really worrying him, I could hear her crying over the phone," Lulu said, pressing her palm to her forehead. "Can you handle everything here?"

"Yeah, we got it, go," Laura assured her. "You go take care of that baby."

"Thank you," Lulu rushed back into the house and grabbed her purse from the coat rack near the laundry room and rushed into the garage, thankful that Laura had to go get ice earlier and made sure no one was parked behind her.

Lulu broke nearly every law on her way to Dante's, but she didn't care, Mia's cries echoes in her ears as she drove. She knew Mia and Dante needed her and she would move heaven and earth to get to them.

Dante must have been watching for her because he flung the door open before she could even step onto the porch, "That was fast," he noted as Mia continued to cry in his arms.

"I might have broken a few laws on the way here," she admitted sheepishly, stepping into the doorway and taking Mia from his arms before going on into the house.

"Thank you for getting here so fast," he said, closing the door.

"No problem, you know I would do anything for you and these kids," she replied as she laid Mia down on the couch and started taking her sleeper off of her. "Sshh, it's going to be okay, my sweet girl."

"What are you going to do?" he wondered, walking over toward the couch.

"We need to get her fever down," she told him as she picked Mia up and cradled her. "When was the last time you gave her anything for her fever?"

"I gave her Tylenol about 30 minutes ago," he looked at his watch the estimate the time, then watched as Lulu began to try to soothe his daughter.

"Have you been alternating with Motrin?" she asked as Mia's cries slowly turned to whimpers.

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"Can you fill her bathtub with lukewarm water?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Dante repeated before going down the hall.

Lulu turned the living room ceiling fan on and sat down on the couch with Mia sprawled out across her chest, she let out a few whimpers as she got comfortable. "Everything's going to be okay Mia," Lulu murmured into Mia's ear.

Dante came in a few minutes later to tell Lulu the bath was ready, so she carried Mia in and took her diaper off before placing her into the baby bathtub, kneeling down next to the tub.

"What is the purpose of this?" he wondered.

"To get her fever down," Lulu said as she began to bathe her. "Have you never had to do this before?"

"No, she's never had a fever like this and if Bridger did when he was younger, Camilla took care of him," Dante explained, also kneeling down next to the bathtub.

"Well, next time she has a fever like this, don't put a warm sleeper on her, it traps the heat, a onesie or even just a diaper will do," she told him.

"I didn't know, I just thought about how cold I feel when I have a fever, so I thought she might be cold, and so I—"

"It's okay," she assured him with a warm smile. "It's a common mistake, I'm not trying to blame you, it's just so you'll know what to do next time. Keeping her as cool as possible is key, you don't want to give her a cold bath because it could send her body into shock."

"Okay," he said, taking everything in that she was telling him and hoping he would remember if this ever happened again.

"Have you tried feeding her lately?" Lulu asked, running a cool washcloth over her head.

"About an hour or so ago I tried to give her some formula and some baby food, but she wouldn't take it," he answered.

"Do you have any juice or Pedialyte?" she asked, turning to pull a towel from the cabinet.

"Yeah, we have both," he replied. "Do I need to go get some?"

"It can wait until we take her out of the bath, we just need to make sure she stays hydrated," Lulu said, flashing him a brief smile before turning her focus back to Mia. "Are you feeling better baby?"

Mia's tiny mouth curved into a glimmer of a smile as Dante took one of her bath toys from the mesh net hanging in the shower and handed it to her.

Lulu felt of her forehead a few minutes later, "I think her fever is going down."

"I hope so, she's been feeling bad since about three this morning," Dante said. "Everything she has taken in has come back up."

"You've been up with her since three this morning?" she asked.

"Well, when she would sleep, I would sleep, but it hasn't been much," he admitted.

"If you want to go take a nap, I can sit with her," Lulu offered.

"Nah, I'll be okay," Dante replied.

"If you're sure…" she said, holding up the towel for him to take.

"I'm sure," he assured her, taking the towel and holding it out so they could wrap it around Mia.

Lulu pulled Mia out of her bathtub and held her up for Dante to place the towel around her, "Do you want to take her?" Lulu asked him.

"No, you can take her," he replied cautiously as they both stood up and he held her out for Lulu to take.

"Dante, just because you had to call me over here doesn't mean you've failed at parenting," she said firmly. "Carry her into her room and start getting her dried off."

"Okay," he gave in, cradling Mia close to his body as they went into Mia's lavender bedroom and laid her down on the changing table.

Lulu got a diaper and a plain onesie to put on the baby and handed them to Dante, "This should be cool enough for her," she said. "I'm going to go get her Pedialyte."

"Okay," Dante said.

When Lulu came back into the room, Dante was snapping the onesie, and talking to Mia, causing Lulu to stop in the doorway and just observe, "Say 'Dadadadada,'" he told her.

"Mamama," Mia cooed.

"No…Dada," he said.

"Mamamama," Mia repeated the same syllable.

"You'd think she would have picked it up by now," Lulu spoke up.

Dante picked Mia up off the changing table, but upon seeing Lulu, the baby lunged toward her.

"She wants you," he told her.

Lulu held out her arms to take Mia, "You are feeling better, aren't you?" she asked the baby. "Then hopefully you'll take some Pedialyte."

They walked into the living room and Lulu sat down, picking up the bottle she had placed on the coffee table.

At first, Mia turned her head from the bottle when Lulu offered it to her. "Come on baby, this is going to make you feel better," she said, still trying to get her to take it.

"Do I need to get a syringe or something?" Dante asked as he sat down next to Lulu.

"Not yet," she replied, a few moments later, she was finally able to get Mia to latch on to the bottle. "There you go, good girl Mia."

Dante watched as Mia held her bottle and Lulu lightly stoked Mia's hair, both watching the other intently as they sat in silence. He enjoyed it a few moments before he spoke.

"Thank you again, Lulu," he told her. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You're welcome, but like I told you, I would do anything for you, Bridger and Mia," she said again before leaning forward to pick up the thermometer and gently pressed it to Mia's forehead, when it beeped a few seconds later, she held it up to look at it.

"What's it say?" Dante asked.

"99.8," Lulu answered with a smile as she held it up for Dante to see.

"That's great," Dante returned as he smiled back at her.

"So next time, you'll know what you need to do, right?" she questioned.

"Yeah," he returned. "But I think she was just sick of me and wanted her Mamama."

Lulu looked at him quickly, "Don't do this Dante," she said. "You know I love Bridger and Mia like my own children and it's killing me not to be with them just as much as it is to not be around you. I just don't want her getting attached to calling me that because I may have been the only mother figure in her life, but regrettably, I am not her mother, nor am I in her life very much now."

"What if she wants you to be in her life a lot more?" Dante asked

"I think that's not up to her, it's up to her daddy," Lulu replied.

"Then what if _I_ want you in her life a lot more?" he rephrased.

"I would like that very much," she admitted hopefully.

"Of course if you take her, Bridger and I come as a packaged deal," he added.

She had been focused on Mia, but when he said this, her eyes shot up and there was a flicker of a smile on her lips, "Really?"

"I love you Lulu, and I hate the hurtful things I said to you when I was angry that day, I didn't mean them and I regret saying them to you," he said.

"No, Dante you don't have to apologize, I'm the one who caused all this pain," Lulu replied. "If I hadn't been selfish and cold, you wouldn't have had to say those things to me."

"I realize why you did it though Lulu, and if I could change history and not make Sonny my father, I would, in a heartbeat, I would," he said. "And if I knew that giving up my children would keep them safe, I would do that in a heartbeat too. I don't want them to be targets and I don't want you, Tanner and Lexi to be targets either, but I'm too selfish to give you up."

Tears stung Lulu's eyes as she put her free arm around Dante's neck and pulled him into a hug. "I never thought I would hear you say that," she confessed, allowing her tears to fall as the continued to cling to him. "I'm too selfish to give you up to, I thought I could just walk away and close off all of my emotions, but I was wrong and when I came to apologize that day, I thought I was too late. I realize I should have been here for you while you were recovering, instead I walked away like a coward."

He pulled back and tilted her chin up so she was looking at him, "You are one of the most courageous people I know, Lulu, I don't want you to let anyone convince you otherwise," he told her before taking his thumbs and wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Most women wouldn't be able to give up their boyfriend to protect their children under these circumstances."

"Just try not to die again, okay?" she said.

"Deal," he smiled, leaning in to kiss her.

"I've missed that," she said.

"Me too," he replied before they shared another brief kiss. "So will you let me take you out to dinner next Thursday on my night off?"

Lulu paused for a moment before answering, "I'm sorry, I can't..."

_So, let me know what you thought. I know a lot was thrown at you in this chapter, but it didn't feel complete without any of the stuff that was in it._


	20. California Dreamin'

_ Wow. I didn't realize so much time had passed since I last updated. Sorry about that. Things have been hectic. This intercession class is going to be a pain in my butt, but it's over June 3__rd__! Thank you for all the well wishes on my classes, I had straight A's, so my hard work paid off. So here we go…next chapter. I haven't done much proofreading on it, so please forgive me, I wanted to get it to you as soon as possible. Also, I would consider this rated NC-17 (or whatever 's equivalent to that is), so be warned._

**Chapter 20 – California Dreamin'**

"_Just try not to die again, okay?" she said._

"_Deal," he smiled, leaning in to kiss her._

"_I've missed that," she said._

"_Me too," he replied before they shared another brief kiss. "So will you let me take you out to dinner next Thursday on my night off?"_

_Lulu paused for a moment before answering, "I can't."_

"What?" Dante wondered, he was almost certain she would say yes. "Why not?"

"Oh no, not because I don't want to," Lulu said, noticing the disappointed look on Dante's face. "I'm supposed to be going to LA for Crimson; otherwise I would love to go out with you."

"I understand," he said. "Maybe week after, then."

"You should come with me to LA," she offered, he gave her an odd look. "No, it will be fun…I mean, I'll have work to do, but I'll have plenty of downtime, we can sightsee and just relax."

"How long are you going to be gone?" He asked.

"From Tuesday night until Sunday," she told him, knowing that would be a deal breaker. "But if you want to come out for only 2 or 3 days, I can pay for a commercial flight out."

"I couldn't ask you to do that," he replied. "Plus I really don't think Mac will let me off work on such for notice and I really can't afford to take any extra time off right now because Bridger's semester tuition is due, so we're pinching pennies a little bit right now."

"Dante…" Lulu sighed sadly. "If you need me to give you some money and even loan you some money, don't hesitate to ask."

"No, absolutely not," he shook his head.

"Dante, it's not a problem, let me help you," she said, noticing Mia had drifted off to sleep and let go of her bottle, so she sat it back on the coffee table.

"No, I can do it, I just have to pick up an extra shift here and there, no big deal," he replied.

"Well, if you do need money ever, all you have to do is ask," she told him. "It's not that I don't think you can do it, it's because you're my friend, you're more than a friend to me and I want to help you."

"I appreciate that, but we'll be okay," he assured her.

"With that said, would you and Mia want to go back to the party with me?" she asked. "Tanner and Lexi both asked specifically if you were going to be there today."

"Are your brothers there and do they still want to kick my ass?" Dante questioned.

"What do you mean by still?" she returned.

"The day we got into that argument here, I went into work the next morning, Lucky said if it wouldn't hurt you more, he, Ethan and Nikolas would kick my ass for hurting you."

"Oh my God," Lulu groaned. "I can't believe them, but I will make sure they know good and well where I stand on the matter and what the consequences will be if they try."

"No, I'm not worried about them, I know Lucky was just being protective of you," Dante replied. "But we better get going so we don't let Tanner and Lexi down."

"We'll probably have to keep Mia in the house, but at least you'll get to celebrate part of their birthday with them," Lulu said

"When they got back to Lulu's, Dante took Mia into the guest bedroom downstairs, laying her down before grabbing the baby monitor and joining Lulu in the kitchen. He took her hand in his as they walked out onto the back deck. Laura was the first to see them, she smiled and reached over, pulling them both into a hug.

"I'm so glad you're here…and together," she said. "How's Mia?"

"She's good, thanks to Lulu," Dante said, smiling at Lulu.

"Her fever was really high and he just didn't know what to do, so I think they both freaked each other out a little," Lulu explained. "But she's fine, she's in the guest bedroom sleeping."

"Dante!" Lexi squealed, jumping out of the pool and running toward the deck, Tanner and Bridger quickly followed suit.

Lulu quickly dropped Dante's hand and stepped back, but Dante didn't seem to mind as he pulled Lexi into his arms and picked her up, Bridger and Tanner both threw their arms around Dante, but he was careful not to get his cast wet.

"Happy birthday," he told Tanner and Lexi.

"Thank you," they both replied.

"Are you and Mommy boyfriend and girlfriend again?" Tanner asked.

"Yes we are," Dante replied proudly.

"Good because I missed you," Lexi said, hugging him tightly.

"I missed you too," Dante told her.

"You want to go swimming with us, Dad?" Bridger questioned.

"I might in a little while, but I'll have to be careful of my cast," he told his son as he put Lexi back on the ground, the three of them taking off back to the pool.

"What did you back away for?" he asked Lulu.

"Because I knew that was going to happen," she said, pointing out his clothes, which were completely drenched.

"What's wrong with that?" he questioned, stepping toward her, but she stepped back.

"Dante don't," she squealed, attempting to duck past him, but he grabbed her and pulled her close to him, getting her clothes all wet, as well, but she laughed and poked his ribs. "Jerk."

"Ow!" Dante exclaimed, but laughed because he knew he deserved it.

"So what finally knocked some sense into you two?" Maxie questioned as the two took a seat at the patio table.

Dante and Lulu glanced at each other, then back to Maxie, "Mia."

"I told you that baby was smart," Carly said.

"The smartest," Lulu agreed. "No, I think it was the fact that we were working together because we were so focused on her, there was no arguing, no blame throwing and we already knew we couldn't live without the other, we just had to put everything aside to see that we needed each other."

"Well, regardless of what caused it, I couldn't be happier for you both," Carly smiled.

"Yeah, I don't know how it's been for you, Dante, but Lulu has been absolutely miserable the last few weeks," Maxie added.

"It's been pretty miserable for me too," Dante admitted as Laura joined them again at the table.

"How is she?" Lulu asked.

"She's perfect," Laura smiled. "If you didn't know, you couldn't even tell she's had a fever."

"She's been up most of the night, so she'll probably sleep for awhile," Dante told her.

"If you want to go inside and get some sleep too, you can," Lulu said.

"No, I'm here to celebrate their birthday, so that's what I'm going to do," he replied, lacing their fingers together.

"They were more than happy to see you here, I'm sure they won't mind," Lulu said.

"No, I'm good, if I went to sleep now, I would be up all night," Dante replied.

"Maybe she's hoping for you to be up all night," Maxie spoke up.

"Maxie!" Lulu shrieked.

"I didn't hear that," Laura said, covering her ears as the rest of them started to laugh.

After partying most of the day, everyone was exhausted and most of their family and friends had started to filter out. Dante had a chance to talk things over with Lucky, Ethan and Nikolas, and then Lulu made it clear that they were not to hold it against Dante, because it wasn't his fault in the first place.

Laura and Maxie stayed to help clean up, while Dante and Spinelli stayed out by the pool to supervise Tanner, Lexi, Bridger and Josslyn, who would be staying the night. After saying goodbye to Carly and assuring her she didn't have to stay and help clean up, Lulu joined Laura and Maxie in the kitchen.

"Maxie, I need you to do me a favor," Lulu told her friend.

"Sure, name it," Maxie replied. "Unless you want to back out on going to LA, because you know I can't get along with the Mishka woman, plus I need to be here for that—"

"Maxie, calm down," Lulu said, placing her hands on Maxie's shoulders. "I just need you to talk Mac into letting Dante have at least part of the week off so he can go with me to LA."

"And you know what Mac is going to say when I ask him…" Maxie reminded her before tossing some plates into the trash.

"That he doesn't meddle in the fashion business, so he would appreciate it if we didn't meddle in police business," Lulu replied monotonously. "But it's not like he's having to pay him while he's off work, just rearrange the schedule a little so he can go, I would prefer the whole time, but even if it's just a couple of days, I would be happy."

"Can he afford to take off for that long, sweetie?" Laura chimed in.

"Not exactly, but let's just say that Bridger will be getting an early birthday present this year," Lulu said. "That should take care of it."

"I don't even want to know because I don't want to be part of your scheme," Laura told her daughter. "You've spent too much time with Maxie and Carly lately."

"I resent that," Maxie said, knowing Laura was teasing.

"So will you help me?" Lulu asked her friend again.

"Yes, I will talk to Mac, but I'm not making any promises," Maxie replied.

"But you're his daughter, if he'll say yes to anyone, it's you," Lulu returned.

Tuesday morning came, Lulu had a lot to do before she left that night for Los Angeles, and she was making a mental checklist as she walked down the hallway at the school. She had taken cupcakes to Lexi and Tanner's classroom to celebrate their actual birthday with their classmates.

On her way out, she stopped by the secretary's office to checkout and to pay for the kids' semester tuition.

"For Lexi and Tanner, right?" she asked, pulling up their file on the computer.

"Yeah, and Bridger Falconeri too," Lulu added as she sat down and began writing out the check.

"But his dad came in and set up a payment plan yesterday," the secretary told her as she looked at Bridger's file

"I know, but I wanted to do something nice for them because Dante has helped me out so much," Lulu said. "So is Bridger's the same as Tanner and Lexi's?"

"No, he received financial aid for 25 percent of his balance, so $4, 462.50, plus your children, that's eleven-nine, minus the 500 for having two children enrolled," she said, adding it up on her calculator. "So $15,862.50."

"Okay," Lulu said, writing the total on the check as her phone began to ring, she grabbed it out of her purse, knowing it was Dante before she even answered it. "I'm running a little late, the kids wanted me to stay for lunch and then I told them I was having lunch with you and all three of them wanted me to get them out of school so they could have lunch with you too."

"You told them no, I hope," he said.

"Yes, I told them no," she said, handing the completed check over to the secretary, who began to print out the receipt.

"So I'll see you in a few?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lulu said, thanking the secretary as she handed her the receipt, then turning to leave the office. "I'm walking out of the school right now."

"Great, I love you, I'll see you soon," he told her.

"I love you too," she replied

When Lulu walked into Kelly's for lunch, Dante smiled and stood to greet her, "Hi," he said before kissing her.

"Hi," she answered before they shared another quick kiss, then he held her chair out for her. "Thank you."

He sat down across from her as they waitress came and took their drink orders, "So, funny thing just happened…" he said.

"What's that?" she questioned

"Mac called me into his office this morning and told me that he took me off the schedule from tonight until Sunday," he said. "Something about a mental health week…but he said those weren't his words."

Lulu grinned widely, "Oh good, then you could go with me to L.A.," she said to him.

"Wait," he stopped her. "Why do I get the feeling that those words belonged to someone who you're friends with…someone who can sweet talk Mac into anything?"

"Because that might have been what happened," she offered. "Please don't be mad, I want you to go with me."

"Lulu, I told you I can't afford to be off work for that long," he said, the waitress brought their drinks and took their food orders.

"Well, I got Bridger an early birthday present that's going to help with that," Lulu told him.

"Unless it's a winning lottery ticket, it's probably not going to be of much help," he replied.

"I made a donation of sorts in Bridger's name that covers his semester tuition," she admitted, twisting the truth a little.

"You paid for his tuition after I told you I didn't want you to?" he raised his voice a little. "How could you do that Lulu?"

"Dante, please don't be mad," she pleaded. "You work hard every day to provide for those kids and I just thought you would enjoy some time off."

"I was off work for almost 3 weeks after the explosion, I've only been back at work for a week and you're already trying to get me out of work to go to L.A. just because," he told her. "On top of that, I'm Bridger's parent; I should be the one paying for his schooling because I chose to put him there."

"You were off work for 3 weeks and that put you back a lot financially, I've seen how stressed out you've been the last three days, I heard you on the phone last night talking to your landlord about renting a smaller house," she confessed. "Dante, I don't want to see you struggling like this, those three weeks set you back a lot, I'm sure and that's not something you planned for, so just this once, let me help you, because no matter how many extra shifts you pick up, you may never be able to catch up if you don't."

"If you think you need to do this to make up for what happened between us, don't, because I've forgiven you, it's in the past, but even if I hadn't, money wouldn't be the thing to fix it," he told her. "I will accept it, but I want to pay you back with interest."

"No, I told you it's his birthday present," Lulu said. "Part of it anyway."

"I can't let you do that," Dante shook his head.

"Fine, you can pay me back, but no interest," she gave in.

"Thank you," he said.

"Does this mean you'll go to L.A. with me?" she asked hopefully.

"I don't even have anyone to—you've already got someone to keep Bridger and Mia haven't you?" he said, noticing the grin on her face.

"Mom agreed to keep them, my sisters-in-law are already arguing over who is going to get to help her," she told him.

"I can't believe you," he laughed. "I will go, but I _will not_ be going to any of your girly fashion things, nor will I be caught dead in one of those spa things."

"You're such a killjoy sometimes," Lulu said.

"Can't you just be happy that I'm going with you?" Dante asked, she was relentless sometimes, of course that was one of the things he loved most about her.

"I am happy," she answered, leaning across the table to kiss him, he met her halfway.

"What time are we leaving?" he asked, linking their fingers on the table.

"I told the pilot to be ready to go about 7," she replied. "It takes a little under six hours to get there, so it will be almost 10 when we get there."

"How busy are you going to be?" he wondered.

"It won't be too bad, I have meetings most of the day tomorrow, part of the day Thursday, then dinner on Thursday night with a few of our top clients, Friday's free, most of Saturday is free and then I have a cocktail party on Saturday night," she explained. "But the cocktail party and dinner, you can go with me."

"Whoa, hold up, I said no girly fashion things," he said, holding his hands up.

"They're not, I promise, it will be fun," she assured him, grabbing his hand again.

"So what do I need to pack?" he wondered. "Do I need a suit and tie?"

"For the dinner, slacks and a button-up shirt, you don't need a tie unless you just want to wear one, it's not that formal, then for the cocktail party, jeans and a button up shirt with a blazer or something like that will be fine," she told him. "The rest of the time, just whatever you want."

"Okay, sounds good, I'll have to get started packing as soon as I get home," he said. "And I'll need to pack for the kids too."

"Well, Mom is going to be staying at my house with them because she doesn't have room for all of them at her house without putting someone downstairs, some of their things are still there," she reminded him. "And if they really need something, she can just go to your house and get it."

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"Are you having second thoughts about going?" Lulu asked.

"No, it just hit me that I'm going to be on the other side of the country, I've never been that far from my kids before," he answered honestly. "It makes me a little nervous."

"Everything will be fine, don't worry," she smiled warmly at him.

"No, I know your mom will take good care of them," he said. "But it's not like being across town, where if something happens, we just get in the car and we're there in 15 minutes."

"But if something happens, we get on the jet and fly home, no questions asked," she told him.

"Even then, it's almost a 6 hour flight," he replied.

"Dante, if you're afraid of leaving the kids, I get it, it was hard for me the first few times I left Lexi and Tanner," she admitted. "I really want you to go, but I would get it if you said you didn't want to."

"No, I want to go," he said. "I'm not backing out."

"Good," she grinned. "We probably need to leave the house by at least 6:45."

"Sounds good, we'll be there," he told her.

"I'm having dinner with Mom and the kids before we leave, so if you want to bring Bridger and Mia over, I'm going to try to have it ready about 6," Lulu explained.

"Okay, we can do that," Dante said.

Lulu went back into the office for a couple of hours before going home to be there when Lexi and Tanner got off the bus. However, when they came through the front door, Lexi was in tears and Tanner was trying to console her, but only made it worse.

"What happened?" she asked Tanner.

"I don't know, she wouldn't tell me," Tanner replied. "She was crying when she got on the bus after her music class."

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Lulu asked her daughter, kneeling down to be eyelevel with her.

Lexi just shook her head and tried to push past Lulu, but Lulu held the girl's shoulders a little tighter.

"I think one of the girls in our class was being mean to her," Tanner said.

"Leave me alone!" she exclaimed to her brother, obviously annoyed with him.

"Hey," Lulu said calmly as she pushed Lexi's hair from her face. "He's just trying to help."

"Well, he's not," Lexi cried.

Lulu looked at her son, "Will you go upstairs for a little bit while I talk to your sister?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Tanner sighed, picking up his backpack and slowly trudging up the stairs.

"Come sit down sweetie," she told Lexi, ushering her over to the couch, they sat down and Lulu once again pushed her daughter's hair from her face. "Did something happen at school?"

"Yeah," she muttered with a nod.

"Was someone being mean to you?" Lulu asked.

"Kinda," Lexi answered.

"You're going to have to tell me what happened sweetie, I can't keep guessing here," she said.

"School is having a daddy-daughter dance…and I don't have a daddy so I can't go," Lexi wailed.

"So someone was being mean to you over that?" Lulu wondered.

Lexi nodded, "Gianna was," she said.

"What did she say?" Lulu asked

"She was talking to me on the way to the bus about how her mom had already bought her this pretty dress and her dad had a suit he was going to wear and they were going to have so much fun," Lexi explained, she was still sobbing. "And she was laughing as me because I wasn't going to get to go."

"Would you want Uncle Lucky or Uncle Nikolas to take you?" Lulu asked her. "Uncle Lucky took you last year, remember? He loved it because he just has stinky old boys, remember?"

"Uh-huh," Lexi giggled a little, but then frowned again. "It's just not fair."

"What's not fair, honey?" she asked, playing with Lexi's hair.

"I can't have a daddy," she mumbled.

Lulu frowned and pulled her daughter into a hug, "I know honey, it's not fair at all that you didn't get to know your daddy like a little girl should," she said, letting herself cry a little now too. "But believe me when I tell you that he loved you and Tanner more than anything and you were pretty much in love with him too."

"Really?" Lexi asked, pulling away from the hug.

"Mmhmm," Lulu nodded with a smile. "And if anyone else ever teases you about that, you tell them that you're lucky because you have a mom who loves you more than life itself, and a brother and Grandma, your aunts, uncles and cousins have got your back, Dante loves you to pieces and so do Bridger and Mia…and most of all, your daddy gets to watch over you and Tanner every single day."

"Mama…" she began, and then paused. "Do you think Dante could take me even though he's not my dad?"

Lulu was taken aback by her daughter's request, "I don't know, but I bet it wouldn't hurt to ask him," she smiled again. "So are you going to be okay now?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Will you go apologize to your brother?" Lulu asked

"Do I have to?" Lexi groaned.

"I think you do, he was just trying to help, and even if he was going about it the wrong way, you still need to apologize," she told her.

"Okay," she sighed, getting up and walking toward the stairs.

Laura arrived just before 6 as Lulu was about to finish dinner and Dante came in with the kids shortly after.

"Hey guys," she smiled as they entered the kitchen.

"Hey," Dante replied, coming around the bar to where Lulu was to kiss her.

"You sure you're ready to leave them?" Lulu questioned.

"Don't ask me that, you'll make me second guess myself," Dante said, kissing her again briefly as Mia let out a squeal.

"Bridger, will you go upstairs and get Lexi and Tanner and tell them dinner is ready?" Lulu asked as she wiped her hands off on a dish towel before turning her focus to Mia and holding her arms out. "Come here baby girl."

"She's getting big, isn't she?" Laura smiled.

"She is," Lulu agreed as Dante stirred the broccoli cheese soup on the stove. "Did you notice she has two more teeth?"

"No, I didn't," Laura said, coming around the bar to look in Mia's mouth at the top two front teeth she had gained to accompany the bottom two front teeth. "Pretty soon you're going to have a whole mouthful of teeth."

"She bit Bridger yesterday, left a pretty good mark," Dante said

"You'll have to break her of that before it gets too bad," Laura told him.

"No, I don't think she really did it intentionally, but he put his finger in her mouth to feel of her teeth and she latched onto it," he explained before taste-testing the soup.

"Leave that alone, it's fine," Lulu told him as he went toward the spice cabinet.

"It needs nutmeg," he insisted, pulling the nutmeg out of the cabinet.

"No, it doesn't," she argued, trying to stop him by grabbing his wrist with her free hand, but he reached up with his other hand and grabbed the nutmeg.

"Trust me," he grinned.

"If you mess up my soup, Dante Falconeri, you will be in a lot of trouble," she warned, still not letting go of his wrist.

"I won't," he assured her.

"Um, Lexi wants to ask you to take her to a dance at her school in a couple of weeks," she told him as he continued stirring the soup. "And before you say yes, know that it is a father-daughter dance and I told her one of her uncles could take her, but she asked if you would, so I told her she would have to ask, I don't want you to feel obligated to say yes just because you're caught off guard."

"A dance?" he questioned.

"Yeah, but like I said, you don't have to say yes," she assured him.

"Okay…I'll be thinking about it," he replied.

The kids came running into the kitchen a few minutes later. After Lulu had decided Dante didn't ruin the soup with nutmeg, they all sat down and enjoyed dinner before it was time for Dante and Lulu to leave.

"There's a key to my house on the hook in the laundry room, so if you need anything from there, you can go get it," Dante told Laura as they stood in the living room saying their goodbyes.

"Okay," Laura replied.

Lulu knelt down in front of Tanner, Lexi and Bridger, mostly talking to Tanner and Lexi. "Now, I want you to be good for Grandma, help her out when she asks, especially with Mia," she said. "And no fighting, please."

"Okay," the three of them agreed before Lulu hugged and kissed each one of them on the cheek.

"We will be calling you tomorrow before bed, okay?" Dante said, kneeling down to hug them, as well.

"Okay," they repeated.

"Bridger, listen to Grandma Laura, okay?" he told his son.

"I will," Bridger replied.

"Tanner, you and Bridger go get ready to take showers," Lulu told him, the two boys took off up the stairs, Lexi sat down on the couch to watch TV.

"I'm going to go get Mia ready for bed," Laura said.

"Bye Mia," Dante told her baby, kissing her cheek.

Laura sensed his apprehension, "We're going to be just fine, Dante, don't worry so much," she told him.

"I know you're going to take excellent care of them, but I can't help being nervous," he admitted.

"It will pass, just go have fun," she said, hugging him.

"Bye Miss Mia," Lulu cooed at the baby as she kissed her forehead, then looked at Laura. "Bye Mom, thanks for helping us out so much."

"I'm more than happy to, the two of you need to have some you time," Laura pointed out before heading toward the stairs.

"Lexi, you keep those boys in line, okay?" Dante asked.

"I will," Lexi replied, glancing to them momentarily, Lulu knew she was scared about asking Dante.

"She has something to ask you," Lulu whispered to him.

"Is there something you wanted to ask me, Lex?" he asked, walking around the couch and sitting down on the coffee table in front of the girl.

Lexi had a shocked look on her face, "Well, my school is having a daddy-daughter dance…" she paused. "And I know you're not my daddy, but I was wondering if you would go with me?"

Dante glanced to Lulu, before he looked back at Lexi. "I'd love to take you to the dance," he told her.

"Really?" she questioned.

"Of course, I would be honored to go with you," he assured her.

"Thank you, Dante!" she squealed, standing up and throwing her arms around his neck.

"You're welcome," he replied, wrapping his arms around her, then looking to Lulu, who was grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Well sweetheart, Dante and I need to get going," Lulu said. "We have a long flight ahead of us and you need to get your homework done."

"I already did my homework," Lexi replied.

"Good, then you can help Tanner and Bridger with their homework," Dante added, standing up and still holding Lexi because she wouldn't let him go.

"Are you sure you can't take me with you?" Lexi questioned.

"No, you have school and I have work," Lulu answered.

"Then can you bring me back something?" Lexi asked

"I think we can do that," Lulu replied.

"Good, because Aunt Maxie left the Dolce & Gabbana winter line up on her computer when I was at the office the other day, and they have these super cute boots that I really want," she told her.

"Excuse me?" Lulu let out a laugh. "8-year-olds aren't even supposed to know what Dolce & Gabbana is…I might buy you some new boots, but I can't guarantee they will be D&G's."

"Please Mama, at least look at them and try to get me some like them," she pleaded. "Have Aunt Maxie send you the pictures, she knows which ones I want."

"I'll look at them, but that doesn't mean you're getting them," Lulu told her.

"Okay," she smiled.

"Goodnight birthday girl," Lulu kissed the top of Lexi's head before they turned to walk out the door.

When they walked into their suite later that night, Dante looked around and noted that there was a sofa-bed, kitchenette and desk in the first room and a doorway that led to the bedroom and bathroom.

"I guess I'm sleeping out here?" he wondered, a little disappointed.

"No, we're both sleeping in the bedroom," she said as she walked into the bedroom. "Unless you just want to sleep out here."

"No…I just didn't know what to expect after the breakup and everything," he admitted, following her into the bedroom and placed their bags next to the bed.

"You think I would con you into coming all the way out here with me just to make you sleep on a sofa bed?" she started to laugh.

"Hey, it was a fair assumption," Dante defended himself.

"I think I've caused enough anguish in this relationship to last us a lifetime, so if anyone were to sleep on the sofa bed, it would be me," Lulu told him.

"Lulu stop," he spoke firmly as her gently grabbed her elbow to get her attention. "Stop beating yourself up over things you can't change. I've forgiven you, now it's time to forgive yourself, because if you don't, I'm afraid it will end up tearing us apart."

"I'm trying to Dante…but I keep thinking back to that day and how you needed me more than ever, but I just walked away," she started to cry, so he pulled her into his embrace and sat them down on the edge of the bed. "I haven't been fair to you, this entire relationship has been about my wants and needs, and I've been so selfish."

"Um, if I recall correctly, you paid my son's tuition this morning, that's extremely selfless if you ask me," Dante told her.

"I did it so you could come with me to L.A., that's selfish," she corrected him.

"No, you know that's not the sole reason for paying his tuition, so don't even try to convince yourself of that," he said. "I think you're exhausted and need some sleep, so how about we get changed and go to sleep? You have a busy day tomorrow."

"Thank you for being so good to me, Dante," she said, still leaning against him, but tilting her head to look up at him.

"You deserve it," he smiled down at her before leaning in to kiss her.

He was right, she had been beating herself up over what she had done and she had yet to forgive herself. It was draining her emotionally and she needed to stop. It wasn't going to be easy, but Dante was right…if she couldn't forgive herself, it would eventually tear them apart again and that's something she didn't want to happen.

She turned out the lights, then climbed into bed and curled up next to him as he leaned forward to kiss her and wrap his arms around her, "I love you," she murmured.

"I love you too, baby," he replied before kissing her on the forehead.

The next morning, Lulu was awake and almost ready to go when Dante woke up and walked into the living area of the hotel suite.

"Good morning, sleepy head," she smiled before going back to putting on makeup. "I knew having an extra room in here would come in handy. There's coffee over there if you want some."

"Thanks," he said, walking over to the kitchenette and pouring a cup of coffee before sitting down on the couch next to Lulu and leaning over to kiss her.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked

"I slept amazingly," he answered.

"Good, I was afraid you would be worried about the kids," she admitted as she continued to put her makeup on.

"No, by the time we got here, I was fine," he said. "They're in a familiar place and I know your mom is taking perfect care of them."

"Do you have any idea what you're going to do today?" Lulu questioned.

"No idea whatsoever," he admitted, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Well, I'm going to send the car back in case you decide you want to go somewhere," she told him. "The Grove isn't too far, you could probably walk there if you wanted, but I know you wouldn't care much to spend all day at a shopping center."

"True," he nodded. "No, I'll probably just hang around here today."

"Okay, well the car will be here if you need it, you just need to call the front desk and the driver will be out front before you even get downstairs," she explained, he nodded, she noticed he was apprehensive. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just not used to all this," he admitted. "Everything is so fancy and being catered to our every need."

"So I guess a couple's massage is a no-go?" she questioned hopefully.

"What?" his eyes went wide. "No, no massages or anything like that."

"I'm kidding," she grinned, placing her hand over his. "I know it's a little overwhelming to have everyone waiting on you hand and foot, but it comes with the territory, I've grown accustomed to it and when the kids travel on business with me, they expect it."

"Do they get to come with you a lot?" he wondered.

"When they're not in school, I give them the option to come, if they do, someone usually comes with us so they can go do what they want while I work and not be bored," Lulu explained.

"Will you be back in time for dinner?" he asked as she began to put her makeup back into the makeup case.

"Yeah, I should be back by around 4," she told him.

She finished getting ready and then left to go to her meetings. The next few days flew by and they were able to get some sightseeing done since Dante had only been to LA once in his life and didn't get to see much when he was last there. They spent quite a bit of time at the beach just relaxing and soaking in the sun and swimming in the ocean. Dante was thankful he was able to get his cast off early in exchange for a small brace, so he could actually get in the water.

It was their last night there and they were at the cocktail party on the roof of their hotel where Dante had stood by Lulu's side as she socialized with various people of the fashion world. They finally had a break and sat down at a table for a moment.

"Are you completely bored?" she asked him as he took a sip of his beer.

"With the conversation, yes…with you, never," he told her honestly. "I know this makes you happy and it makes me happy to just be able to watch you and see that you're in your element."

Lulu was taken aback by his response, "Thank you," she smiled. "As much as I hate to admit it, I really love being in the fashion world…of course, I love just being able to kick back and relax in sweats and a t-shirt, but I love getting to dress up and have a good time too, especially when I'm in good company."

"Well, I don't think I could handle this on a regular basis, but for tonight, I'm having fun," he replied.

"Too much fun to maybe cut out of here early?" she wondered.

"No, but we can stay if you want," he answered.

"I'm tired, it's been a busy week and we need to pack so we can head back home tomorrow," she told him.

"Okay, whenever you're ready," he replied.

"Let's go," she said, getting down from the barstool she was sitting on.

He followed suit, slipping an arm around her waist as they left. Once on the elevator, she turned to him and kissed him passionately.

"What was that for?" he asked when they pulled away for air a few moments later.

"For agreeing to come on this trip with me, I hope you don't regret it," she answered, slipping her hand into his and linking their fingers together.

"Not at all," he replied. "I guess I did need a break that wasn't due to my injuries."

"Wait…what?" a smile curved on her lips. "Is that your way of telling me I was right?"

"Whoa, hey, wait a minute…I did not say that, I just said I needed a break," he teased her, her mouth gaped open at him. "I'm kidding, you were right."

"Victory," she said before he pulled her into another kiss as the elevator doors opened.

They made their way down the hall to their room as Dante pulled his key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, letting them in. Lulu walked into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning down to take off her heels. He placed his blazer in the closet and un-tucking his shirttail, and then sat down next to her, also taking off his shoes. When he finished, he noticed she was staring off into space.

"Are you tired?" he wondered. "You haven't been able to rest like I have."

"A little, but not like I have been the last few nights," she replied, getting up and putting her shoes in the closet.

"It's been a good trip though," he said.

"You know what would make it better?" she asked.

"What's that?" he wondered as she sat back down next to him.

She leaned in and kissed him softly at first, but it quickly became urgent. She ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his head as he put an arm around her to pull her closer, if that was possible.

He pulled away from her, "Are you sure this is what you want, Lulu?" he asked.

"I'm sure," she said as she stood up, unzipping her dress, letting it fall to the floor.

Dante gazed at her for a moment before standing also and crashing his lips to hers, "God, you're beautiful," he murmured in between kisses as they made their way back over to the bed, practically falling into it.

They broke their kisses long enough to move completely onto the bed, he hovered over her.

"Are you sure?" he asked again. "Because—"

She propped her self up on her elbows and hushed his worries by pressing her lips to his, "I want this more than anything, Dante," she whispered when she pulled back. "I love you so much and I want to be able to show you how much you mean to me."

He smiled and kissed her again, this time even more fiercely than before. Dante lowered himself over her and let his hands wander everywhere. Lulu felt the heat of his touch and was on fire. His fingertips trailed along, burning lines along her skin that made her tremble with excitement, nervousness and anticipation at the same time.

Lulu lifted her hands to caress his back as he pressed little, hot kisses down her neck. He made his way almost between her breasts before he was stopped by her bra. Dante was more passionate than he'd ever been before, and she knew that soon it would be impossible to stop.

Almost instantly Lulu placed her hands at his broad shoulders and lowered them down his spine, feeling his warmth. Her hands found their way to the buttons on his shirt and started unbuttoning them. At the same time Dante was removing her bra, sending fresh shivers down her spine and directly to her core. Lulu sighed slightly as he lifted his hands off her back, allowing her to push his shirt away.

He pressed her against the soft bed and cupped her left breast, squeezing it slightly. Lulu's nipples were already taut and longing for touch. Dante lowered his eager mouth to her other breast and took the nipple between his lips. He sucked and licked it, drawing soft moans from Lulu. She traced her hands in his hair and back, arching her back and thrusting her breast against his waiting mouth. He nibbled at the soft flesh of her breasts, his hand creeping to her panties at the same time.

Lulu felt the bulge pressed against her thigh clearly. He was already and feeling the soft fabric of her panties. His finger slid down, feeling the wetness even through the fabric. His prying finger drew fresh moans from her as it slid up and down her slit. She lifted her hips slightly to meet his touch.

She almost whimpered when he suddenly lifted himself from her and his wonderful fingers ceased to entice the fire that was now blazing freely inside her. Dante started to open his belt and Lulu was down to her panties now, and he was soon in his boxers as well.

He pressed her against the bed once again, kissing her deeply. His fingers started their expedition again, this time sliding inside her panties. She gasped as he found the little nub placed atop her opening. He brushed it lightly, circling her wet entrance at the same time. She needed to touch him so bad. She lowered her hand in search of his boxers, sliding one hand to feel his thickness through the thin fabric.

Dante groaned quietly as she continued her search inside his boxers. She stroked his length and encircled the head with her fingers. She lowered her hand to grip the base and moved slowly back up.

Suddenly she felt his finger slide inside her, feeling her tightness. She gasped as the finger withdrew from her as suddenly as it had entered, and he removed her panties with one swift movement. She was naked before him, her skin tingling and hot. Dante took off his boxers and she saw all of him in the dim light. She wanted to feel him inside her so bad.

"We don't have to do this now if you don't want to," he suddenly whispered to her ear, she guessed he could see the small fear she had in her eyes. She answered by looking him in the eye and drawing him to her.

As he pressed his lips against hers, Lulu could feel the head of his member at her wet entrance. He pushed himself inside a few inches, and she drew breath sharply as she could feel herself tighten painfully around him, trying to accommodate his girth. It had been a long time, and he really was rather large.

He thrust deeper and she heard the small moan of pleasure he let out. Lulu was trying to relax as much as she could, feeling an odd mixture of pain and pleasure. Suddenly Dante thrust all the way in, and she couldn't help a cry escaping her lips. He was deeper than no one had ever been before, spreading her, filling her totally.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked quietly, concern in his voice.

"Just a little bit, don't worry about it," she managed to respond as the feelings of immense pleasure mixed with some pain engulfed her.

Dante looked her in the eye and must have seen the lust within her, since he decided to continue. Slowly he withdrew from her and thrust back in. This time Lulu could hear herself moan as he filled her again and she lifted her hips to meet him.

He continued to gently thrust his length inside her, making her feverish with desire. The pain was totally gone and there was only the ever growing burning pleasure deep inside. She lifted her hips to meet his each thrust, and soon he began to lose control and started to pound himself inside her faster and faster and faster.

She moaned as his knowing fingers found her clit once again. He started to twirl his fingers around it, coaxing more cries of pleasure from her lips.

Lulu's hands raked down his back, pulling him even closer. His strokes were driving her mad and she was feeling thousands of sensations at the same time. She could feel the blood pounding in her veins and the incredible pressure inside her. The little spasms of heat and pleasure were all over her lower body, they echoed from her center to her spine.

Her hands clasped at his back tightly as she felt the heat explode. Her walls contracted around him, drawing deep moans from him, as she lost herself in the amazing feeling. Everything was in haze and she completely lost control.

Slowly her orgasm subsided and she could feel Dante was very close to his peak as well. He was driving inside her like mad, grunting softly at the same time. Soon she could feel his one final thrust, going so deep, as he spread her even wider and came inside her.

He collapsed atop of her, totally spent. They were both panting and caressing each other lazily. He lifted his head to kiss her hotly, and she returned the kiss eagerly. Eventually he had to withdraw himself from her, and they both sighed as he did so.

He wrapped his arms around her and drew her close to him, her head resting on his chest.

"I love you, Lulu," he whispered.

"I love you too," she replied, looking up at him lovingly.

_So let me know what you think? I hope that last scene wasn't a let down since I made you wait so long for it :)_


	21. Family Time

_I didn't realize how long it had been since I had updated. That intercession class kicked my butt, but I think I did well. 8-week summer classes started yesterday and it looks like I won't be too busy, so hopefully I'll be able to update more. This is a fluff-filled chapter, so I hope you like it._

**Chapter 21 – Family Time**

Lulu woke the next morning to a loud thud and scooted toward Dante's side of the bed to get closer to him, hoping to go back to sleep. But she soon realized he wasn't even in bed.

"Dante," she called.

"I'm right here," he said, coming into the bedroom, knowing she was worried when she woke up alone.

"What was that noise?" she wondered as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Room service," he answered, leaning down to kiss her forehead, knowing she wouldn't let him kiss her on the lips. "It was getting a little late and I figured after last night, we both needed food if we were going to be of any use when we got home tonight."

"Thank you," she smiled as she stretched out as little.

"Are you feeling okay?" he wondered.

"Yeah, I'm just a little sore, it's been awhile since I've moved like that," she admitted, they both laughed as she sat up while holding the sheet with one hand to cover her body as she reached for his hand with the other. "Thank you for last night, it was amazing."

"You were amazing," he returned. "I can't believe you kept up with me."

Lulu let out a snort as she rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said.

"Go brush your teeth because I'm trying really hard not to kiss you," he told her. "And I'll go get breakfast on the table."

"Okay," she replied, getting out of bed and holding the sheet around her.

After brushing her teeth and getting dressed, she joined him in the front room of their suite where he had two plates of French toast on the table. She grinned at his selection, knowing he ordered it because it was her favorite.

"You remembered," she said, allowing him to kiss her now.

"Of course I remembered," he replied, holding out a chair for her, then pushing it forward once she sat down.

"Are you ready to go home?" he asked, sitting down across from her.

"Not really," she answered honestly. "I'm ready to see the kids, but this week has been beyond amazing, especially after last night and I don't want it to end."

"Me either and the weather here is perfect, we'll probably feel like we're freezing to death when we get back home," he replied. "We'll be pulling out the heavy coats and snow boots."

"Boots…I forgot to go look at those boots Lexi wanted," Lulu said.

"More shopping?" Dante wondered.

"I'm afraid so…I didn't get anything for any of the kids," Lulu replied.

"You don't have to get anything for Mia and Bridger," Dante said. "You've already done enough already."

"But it's tradition for Lexi and Tanner and I wouldn't feel right not getting something for Bridger and Mia," Lulu told him.

After eating breakfast, they got their things packed and headed to a children's boutique just off of Rodeo Drive that Lulu knew of. She hadn't promised Lexi she would get the boots she wanted, but since she hadn't really asked for anything big for her birthday, Lulu thought getting her the boots would be perfect.

They walked into the boutique and Lulu went immediately for the shoes, Dante followed, secretly wishing he had waited outside. She carefully looked at the boots Lexi wanted and had the lady get them in Lexi's size. Dante watched as Lulu started going through a rack of clothing in Mia's size.

"Look at this outfit, isn't it adorable?" she asked, holding it up for Dante to look at.

Dante let out a laugh. "I'm probably not the best person to ask that question," he told her.

"Well, I think Mia will love it," Lulu replied, glancing up and seeing a wall full of colorful blankets and going toward it. "She needs a new blanket doesn't she? That one she's had since she was born is getting a little worn out since it's the one used the most."

"Probably," Dante agreed. "That one is her favorite, maybe we can replace it though."

"What do you think of this one?" she asked, holding up a zebra print blanket, he shook his head, she put it back and held up one with cupcakes.

"That one isn't so bad," he said.

"Do you see any others you like more that aren't boyish?" she asked.

He glanced at all the different blankets, "No, I think the cupcakes will be good," he told her.

She paid for their items after a protest from Dante on the price of the items she bought for Mia, but in the end, she was able to buy them anyway.

"Does Bridger like skateboards?" Lulu asked as they left the store.

"I'm not sure, he plays with them when we go to the store, but as far as asking for one, he hasn't," Dante answered. "Why?"

"Well, Tanner was wanting one of those Ripstiks and I thought it might be fun to get one for Bridger as well so they can play on them together," Lulu explained.

"That's a good idea," Dante agreed.

"Okay, they should have them at this shop right down the street here," she told him.

After getting the skateboards, they got to the airport to meet their pilot. It wasn't long before Lulu fell asleep on the jet with Dante's arms wrapped around her and slept until she was jolted awake when the plane landed in Port Charles.

When they pulled into the garage, it was already after 9, they had called Laura to have her get the kids ready for bed since it was going to be late when they got home. Dante had to work the next morning and Lulu was going into work late, so Bridger and Mia were going to stay with Lulu so she could get Bridger to school then take Mia to daycare on her way to work.

"What goes in first?" Dante asked as he opened the back of the SUV.

"If you can get my garment bag and the boys' skateboards, I can get the girls' clothes and the rest of my stuff," she told him.

"Are you sure?" he asked, taking her garment bag and the boxes with the skateboards in them out of the back of the SUV.

"Yeah," she answered, gathering the rest of her things.

When they walked into the house, they heard giggling coming from the living room. So they quietly sat everything down in the kitchen and walked into the living room, not making their presence known as they silently watched Laura and the kids playing Apples-to-Apples on the coffee table as Mia crawled around on the floor.

Laura was the first to spot them a few moments later and whispered to the kids to turn around.

"Mama!" Lexi squealed, as the three of them jumped up as rushed toward Dante and Lulu.

"Dad!" Bridger exclaimed, jumping into Dante's arms. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Bridge," he replied.

"I think they all missed you," Laura added, picking up Mia and walking over to the group.

"Did you have fun with Grandma?" Lulu asked, standing up from where she had been kneeling to hug her kids.

"Yeah, but I'm glad you're home," Tanner answered.

"We are too," Dante told him, putting Bridger down and taking Mia from Laura.

"Hi pretty girl," Lulu cooed at the baby.

"Grandma Laura, show Dad and Lulu what Mia can do," Bridger said.

"Go sit her over by the coffee table," Laura told Dante.

When he sat her down, she immediately pulled herself up to the coffee table, "Yayyyy," Tanner, Lexi and Bridger all cheered.

"She's been able to do that for awhile, guys," Lulu hated to point out the obvious, but it was true.

"Just wait," Laura said.

They sat there watching the baby as she cautiously took a step while clinging on to the coffee table. Dante and Lulu were both watching avidly as Mia took a few more steps before looking at them with a grin, as if to say "ta-da!"

"Yay Mia!" "Way to go!" Lulu and Dante praised the baby.

She let go of the coffee table and sat down, clapping momentarily before moving to stand up while holding onto the couch and reaching out for Lulu.

"Now you just have to get the walking by yourself thing down," Lulu told her as she picked her up.

"When did she start doing that?" Dante asked

"Friday," Laura replied. "The kids have been making her practice ever since."

"What did you bring us?" Tanner wondered.

Lulu looked to Dante, "Will you bring their stuff in here?" she asked. "I put that sack with Mia and Lexi's things in it on the table in the dining room."

Dante disappeared and came back a few moments later, handing the skateboard boxes to Tanner and Bridger, then the sack to Lulu.

"Whoa, these are so cool!" Bridger exclaimed.

"Make sure you thank Lulu for that," Dante reminded his son.

"Thank you," Bridger said.

"You're welcome sweetie, but all of these surprises are from both of us," Lulu said.

"Thank you Mama," Tanner said, hugging Lulu, then Dante. "Thank you Dante."

"Thanks Dad," Bridger added.

"You're welcome," Dante replied.

Lulu pulled Mia's blanket from the sack and took the tags and such off of it before handing it to the baby to test out. Then she pulled out the outfit they got.

"Isn't that just precious?" Laura said.

"You're going to be styling, Mia," Lulu added, holding the outfit up for Mia to see.

"What about me?" Lexi was getting anxious as she sat next to Lulu.

"Well, I just couldn't decide what to get you…" Lulu began, then pulled the shoe box out of the bag. "So Dante suggested those boots you wanted."

"Really?" Lexi shrieked, tossing the lid of the shoe box off to the side. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome," Lulu laughed at her daughter's enthusiasm. "Thank Dante too though."

"Thank you Dante," Lexi added as she pulled the boots on, then began jumping up and down in excitement.

Tanner and Bridger had missed the entire conversation because they had immediately begun tearing into their new toys.

"Mom, can we go outside to ride these?" Tanner questioned.

"Not right now, you've already had your showers and you need to be getting in bed soon," Lulu answered.

"Aw man!" he cried.

"I'm sorry, but you have school tomorrow and Dante has to get up and go to work in the morning, Grandma is probably ready to get home and I need to get Mia in bed," Lulu told her son.

"Yeah, why don't you three tell Grandma goodnight and thank her for staying with you while we were gone," Dante suggested. "And then you can head up to bed."

Lexi immediately did as she was told, jumping up and giving Laura hugs and kisses, "Goodnight Grandma, thank you for staying here with us," she told her.

"You're welcome, angel," Laura smiled.

"I'll be up in a minute to tuck you in," Lulu said as Lexi turned toward the stairs.

The boys hugged Laura, allowing her to kiss them on the cheek, both thinking it wasn't cool to kiss your grandmother. They thanked her for keeping them and took off upstairs.

"Brush your teeth," Dante reminded them.

"Thank you again, Mom," Lulu said. "I know they can be a handful sometimes."

"They were no problem at all," Laura replied. "We had a blast."

"Are you sure there's nothing we can do to repay you?" Dante questioned, feeling bad about using Laura for free childcare.

"No, it's like I've told Lulu and her brothers…there's no use in paying someone outside of the family to care for your children when you have someone inside your family who is more than willing to do it for free," Laura explained. "And yes, I consider you and your children family."

"Well, thank you, but if there is anything I can do to return the favor, let me know," he said.

"I will," she replied. "And I will see both of you in a few days."

"Goodnight," Dante and Lulu both said as Dante walked Laura to the door and Lulu picked up Mia from where she was crawling after them.

After making sure the kids were tucked into bed, Dante got Mia to sleep while Lulu took a quick shower. When she walked out of the bathroom, Dante was watching TV on her bed with Mia asleep on his chest.

"You missed her, didn't you?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I missed holding her," he replied as Lulu sat down on the other side of the bed. "Are you sure you don't need me to stay the night?"

"You realize that even if you did, it wouldn't be a replay of last night," she reminded him. "Because one, Mia is going to be sleeping in here…and two, I'm still exhausted from being up half the night last night."

"But her pack 'n play is in the guest bedroom, we can just put her in there," Dante suggested.

"You've been telling me all the way home how much you missed them and you're just going to go put her in her pack 'n play in the other room by herself?" Lulu questioned.

She sure knew how to pull a guilt trip, Dante shifted a little and Mia grasped his shirt tightly, "Even in her sleep, you two are conspiring against me," he said.

Lulu giggled, "Aww, you're more than welcome to stay with us though, it looks like Mia's not going to let you go," she told him.

Dante groaned and carefully stood up before kicking off his shoes and socks, and then using his free hand to discard his jeans. He tossed the covers back and got in bed, getting comfortable with Mia snuggled close to him.

"What time do you have to be up in the morning?" Lulu asked

"What time are you getting up to get the kids ready for school?" he countered.

"I'll probably be up around 6, the kids need to be at the bus stop at 7:15," Lulu replied. "Since there are 3 kids to get ready, we'll be pushing it, but I'm too tired to get up earlier."

"Well, there are two of us, so maybe it won't be too bad," he said. "I could take them on my way to work so you can at least get a little more sleep."

"Are you sure?" she wondered.

"Yeah, set the alarm for 6:30, we'll be out of here by 7:40, I'll drop them off at school and be to work by 8," Dante said.

Lulu set her alarm and turned out the light before crawling in bed, "I think I could get used to having you around," she said, leaning over Mia to kiss Dante.

"I could get used to being here," he told her, holding her close to kiss her again.

Lulu laid back down, this time closer to Dante and Mia as Dante draped an arm around her waist, "Goodnight," she murmured, already half-asleep.

"Goodnight," he said.

The next morning, Lulu's alarm went off, she got up, brushed her teeth and pinned her hair back with a few bobby pins, letting a few stray curls hang down. Then she went to wake the kids up and helped them pick out clothes to wear before going back into her room to make sure Dante was awake and Mia was still asleep. She made sure the baby monitor was on before going downstairs and starting the coffee pot, then breakfast for herself, Dante and the kids.

Dante was the first to appear in the kitchen, snaking his arms around her waist and leaning around to kiss her.

"You're going to spoil me and Bridger with a hot breakfast, we're used to cereal," he said, seeing the skillet of scrambled eggs she was cooking.

"I hate to break it to you, but I'm sure my mom has been feeding Bridger hot breakfasts since we left, I'm just doing eggs and toast, she probably made them pancakes, French toast, biscuits and gravy, hash browns, sausage, bacon and all that good stuff," Lulu said.

"I'm in big trouble then," Dante said, walking over to the coffee pot and pouring each of them a cup of coffee.

"Did Mia wake up at all last night?" Lulu asked, turning off the fire under the eggs and taking the cup of coffee from him. "I didn't hear her."

"She woke up once and I brought her downstairs to feed her so we wouldn't wake you up," Dante answered.

"You're so sweet," she smiled, putting the toast into the toaster oven.

"It feels weird being so domesticated," Dante admitted.

"Weird, like in a bad way or a good way?" she questioned, picking her coffee cup back up off the counter and taking a sip of it.

"In a good way, definitely," he assured her. "I like feeling like a family with you, it's just not something I'm used to."

"Yeah, I understand completely," she replied. "I think I could get used to it though."

"Mama, can I wear my new boots?" Lexi asked, walking into the kitchen carrying her backpack and her boots.

"Yeah, but you can't be playing in the dirt and rocks with Tanner and Bridger…I don't want you tearing them up," Lulu told her daughter.

"Okay," Lexi agreed happily as she sat down at the dining room table to put her boots on.

"Is there anything you need me to do?" Dante wondered.

"Not unless you want to give Lexi's hair a shot," Lulu said.

"Oh noooo," he answered. "I do not do hair."

"You have a daughter, Dante, you're going to have to learn sometime," Lulu reminded him.

"Nope, she will have crazy hair until she learns to do it herself," Dante shook his head.

"No she won't," Lulu laughed. "I'll come over and do it if I have to; she's not going to school looking like a homeless child."

"Mama, when are we going to go shopping for a dress?" Lexi wondered. "The dance is this Friday night."

"Are you going to be able to take off work?" Lulu asked Dante quietly.

"Yeah, I'll figure something out," Dante assured her.

"Well, we can go tonight when I get off work if you'd like," Lulu replied.

"We have to get Dante a tie to match my dress too, Joss said Uncle Jax is getting a tie to match her dress," Lexi added.

"Well, Dante may want to pick out his own tie, sweetie," Lulu told her.

"He can go with us," Lexi offered.

"Would you be willing to do that?" Lulu asked Dante. "We could take Mia and the boys too and go out to dinner."

"Are you bribing me?" Dante questioned, eyeing Lulu.

"Maybe…it just depends on how willing you are to make Lexi happy," Lulu said, not backing down.

"Oh, now we're moving to the guilt trip," Dante noted, laughing. "No, we can go…I'm not sure how happy the boys will be about it though."

"If we feed them and take them to at least one store in the mall they want to go to, they'll be happy," Lulu replied. "It's almost 7, the boys better get a move on."

"I'll go check on them," Dante said, first going into the garage to get his bag from the SUV, then going upstairs.

When the boys came downstairs a few minutes later, Dante wasn't with them, "Where's your dad?" Lulu asked Bridger as he sat down at the bar next to Lexi and in front of a plate of eggs and toast.

"He's still upstairs, I think," Bridger replied as Tanner sat down next to him. "Can I have some apple juice, please?"

"Of course you can," Lulu smiled. "Tanner, do you want something to drink?"

"Some apple juice, please," Tanner replied.

She poured them some juice and sat it down just as she heard Dante's voice over the baby monitor, "Good morning princess," he said, obviously to Mia, who cooed back at him.

A few minutes later, Dante came into the kitchen carrying Mia, "Look who decided to wake up," Lulu said, walking around the bar and holding her arms out to Mia.

"Mamamama," Mia squealed as she went to Lulu.

"Did you wake her up?" Lulu asked Dante as the stood at the counter eating breakfast.

"No, I figured I would go ahead and get dressed while I was up there and when I came out of the bathroom she was awake," Dante explained.

"Mama, we're going to miss the bus," Tanner said, looking at the clock.

"No you're not," Lulu replied, putting Mia in her tabletop highchair. "Dante is going to take you to school, so you can leave a little later."

"Okay," he said, going back to eating breakfast.

"Will you feed her while I fix lunches?" Lulu asked Dante.

"Yeah sure," Dante said, putting down his food and getting the things he needed to mix up her baby cereal.

Thirty minutes later, Dante and the kids were walking out the door to go to school and work.

"Bye Lex," Lulu said, kissing her daughter on the forehead.

"Bye," she replied.

"Bye boys," she told Bridger and Tanner as they both zoomed past Lulu.

"Bye," they both yelled.

"Bye baby," Dante said, coming out of the house, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing her passionately.

Lulu smiled when they finally came up for air, "I'll see you after work," she told him.

Lulu went back inside to see Mia playing in her exer-saucer, jumping up and down. "So what are we going to do for the next couple of hours, Mia?" Lulu asked, going over and picking the baby up before sitting down on the couch and standing Mia up in her lap.

Mia began babbling happily as Lulu laughed at her, "You know…I'm happy you like the word 'Mama' because I like hearing it," she said. "And I think you realize what it means…I would love to be your mama, baby girl, and your brother's too, I never thought I could love any kids as much as I loved my own, but you and Bridger showed me that I was wrong.

Mia played with Lulu's hair as Lulu continued to talk, "I don't know what the future holds for us, Mia, but I do know that I am going to do everything in my power to make it work with your daddy because I want to be a part of his life and your life and Bridger's life," she said. "I need the three of you as much as I need Tanner and Lexi…you mean the world to me."

Lulu smiled at that innocent face and couldn't help but smile, "My beautiful girl."

"Mama," Mia cooed, as if on key.

"Can I have a kiss?" Lulu asked, pursing her lips, Mia leaned forward and gave Lulu and open-mouthed kiss, causing Lulu to laugh.

After spending the morning being lazy, Lulu got ready and took Mia to daycare before going into the Crimson offices.

"Good afternoon, love bird," Maxie said, coming into Lulu's office. "Did you get any work done while you were on that business trip?"

"I did…quite a bit actually," Lulu told her.

"Dante didn't distract you too much, did he?" Maxie questioned. "Because I will make sure Mac knows he's not allowed to have anymore time off."

"I was at the meetings for every minute I was scheduled to be there, the only thing I left early from was the cocktail party," Lulu said as she began organizing desk.

"Let me guess…after having a few too many cocktails, you had hot drunken sex with Dante," Maxie replied.

"Minus the cocktails and being drunk," Lulu replied coyly.

Maxie's eyes widened, "You better not be lying to me right now, Lulu!" she exclaimed, Lulu's smile confirmed what she had hoped would happen. "Was it everything you hoped it would be?

"It was perfect," Lulu smiled.

Maxie squealed and threw her arms around Lulu's neck, "I'm so happy for you!"

Lulu was unsure of what to say to her friend, "Uh…thank you," she said.

When Lulu got home, Dante was loading his things into his truck, along with Bridger and Mia's.

"Do you need help?" she asked, getting out of her SUV.

"No, all I have left is what's in the back of your car," Dante said, walking over and opening the back of the SUV to get his suitcase from it.

"What's this?" she questioned. "I don't even get a hello kiss?"

"Of course," he said, leaning in to kiss her. "I left Mia in the house with Lexi, so I was in a hurry, I didn't realize how much stuff we had brought over here last week for the kids."

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if Mom made a trip or two every day if Bridger asked for something from over there, so that could be why," Lulu told him, shutting the back of the SUV as Dante put the suitcase into the truck. "Are the kids ready to go?"

"Yeah, the boys are upstairs playing some game and Lexi and Mia are in the living room," Dante explained as they walked back to the door that led from the garage into the house.

After going out for dinner, they headed to the mall.

"Can we go to the candy store first?" Tanner asked as they walked into the department store.

"No, we're here to get Lexi a dress," Lulu reminded him.

"Aww man," Tanner cried, crossing his arms in defiance.

"But if you're good, I bet we can talk your mom into going to the candy store before we leave," Dante told Tanner, elbowing him lightly, causing him to grin.

Lulu knew if it was up to Dante—and in this case it was—they would be going to the candy store no matter how the boys acted.

They went toward Lexi's size dresses in the vast department store. Tanner immediately took a seat on the large black and white damask upholstered couch near the fitting rooms.

"It's going to be awhile," he warned Bridger, who came over to join him.

"This one's nice," Dante said, holding up a black and white dress with rhinestones on the bodice.

Lexi looked at the dress and wrinkled her nose before shaking her head. Lulu walked over and laced her fingers with him.

"She's not going to let you off the hook that easy," she whispered.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

"Trying to get Lexi to get that dress so you don't have to wear a girly colored tie," Lulu replied, as Lexi looked through the racks of dresses.

"Can you blame me?" he questioned, causing Lulu to laugh.

"No, but she's not going to go for a dress like that," she told him.

"How do you know?" he questioned.

"Because I do," she said, letting go of his hand and walking toward Lexi, grabbing the first pink dress she saw. "Hey Lex, what do you think of this one?"

"I like that one," Lexi shook her head.

Lulu turned to Dante and grinned, "Told ya," she said, then looked back to Lexi. "Okay, I'll hang onto this one and we'll pick out a few more before we go try them on."

"You fight dirty," Dante commented.

"I can't help that I know my daughter better than anyone," Lulu replied.

There were so many dresses to choose from and Lexi had tried on many of them, but had yet to find the one she really loved. Of course, she wanted all of them, but she knew she could only wear one to the dance and it had to be perfect.

Lulu brought back three more dresses, noting the smug looks on Tanner and Bridger's faces as they sat on the couch. Mia had started to fuss, so Dante was walking around, bouncing her lightly as he went.

Lexi had insisted on Lulu staying out of the fitting room, except when she needed help with zippers. Another sign that her children were getting older.

"Does she feel warm to you?" Dante asked about Mia as Lulu walked back over to them.

"A little bit, it's probably just her teeth though, you might give her some Tylenol," Lulu suggested.

"Will you hold her while I find it?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," she replied, taking Mia from him, continuing the bouncing motion as Mia seemed to like it. She walked over to where the boys were seated. "Thank you for being so patient, boys," Lulu said.

"Does that mean we get to go to the candy store?" Bridger questioned.

"It depends on how you act between now and the time we leave the store," Lulu told her, hoping that when they left the store, they would have a dress, but at this rate they would go through at least two more stores before Lexi found a dress she liked.

"Here," Dante said, walking over to them with the Tylenol, holding up the dropper to give to Mia, who made a face as she took it. "Yeah, I know, you like the Ibuprofen better, but there's not any in the diaper bag."

"Mama, can you come zip this?" Lexi asked, peeking her head out from the fitting room.

"Yeah," Lulu replied, handing Mia back over to Dante before going to zip her daughter's dress.

"I like this one," she said, walking out of the fitting room to look in the large mirror at the raspberry-colored satin dress, which had sequins on the bodice and a bubble hemline, then she looked at Dante. "Do you like it Dante?"

"It's very pretty, Lex," Dante said.

Lexi eyed the dress a little more, "Is that the one you want?" Lulu asked her.

"Umm…no," Lexi replied, turning to walk back to the fitting room.

"I know what this is about," Lulu muttered.

"What?" Dante asked as Lulu went to Lexi's fitting room to unzip the dress.

When she came back to where he was standing, she pulled him away from where the boys were seated, "She knows how you feel about the tie and she wants you to absolutely love the dress because she doesn't want to disappoint you," she whispered.

"She's not going to disappoint me, if it makes her happy, I will wear a pink tie, I may not like it, but I would do it," Dante replied.

"Maybe you should go tell her that," Lulu said, taking Mia back from him.

Dante walked over to the fitting room Lexi was in and lightly knocked on the door, "Lex…"

"What?" she asked.

"If you want that last dress, get it," he said. "I want you to get the dress you love the most…I will wear whatever color tie you want me to wear."

"Really?" she questioned through the door.

"Yeah really," he replied. "This is your dance, I want you to be happy."

She opened the door a little, "Can you zip this for me?" she asked him.

"Of course," he smiled, zipping the dress for her.

Lexi turned to face him, wearing a plum colored chiffon dress that was knee-length with three tiers and a sequined shoulder neckline. She looked like a young lady.

The color of the dress reminded him on the one Lulu was wearing in a picture she had in her house. The picture was from her dad's last wedding a few years earlier.

"I think that one might be my favorite," Dante told her.

"Really?" she asked

"Yep," he said.

Lexi threw her arms around Dante's waste, hugging him tightly.

"You look beautiful, Lex," Lulu said. "Like a little lady."

When Dante looked up, he noticed the tears in Lulu's eyes.

Lexi went over to the mirror and twirled around, "Yep, I want this one," she said, coming over to Lulu to let her unzip it before she took off back to the fitting room.

"You okay?" Dante asked, putting an arm around her waist.

"Yeah, I just can't believe how grown up she looks, especially in that dress, it caught me off guard," Lulu replied

"I didn't mean for her to hear me talking about the tie issue," he said. "As much as I didn't want to wear a pink tie, I wanted even less to disappoint her."

"But you made it right and it's possible that there isn't a happier girl in the world right now," Lulu replied. "And the good news is, you don't have to wear a pink tie."

"It's a win-win situation," Dante agreed.

After agreeing on a plum colored tie with a pattern of tiny white dots, they started toward the candy store.

"Do you have plans for Bridger's birthday next month?" Lulu asked as they walked through the mall.

"No, I thought we would just have a small family thing, have Ma come in, if your family wants to come, they can and then we'll invite some of his friends," Dante replied, watching the kids who were running ahead a little in their excitement.

"We should do a Halloween themed party, go all out," Lulu said.

"I can't really afford to go all out, but that is a good idea," Dante replied.

"No…please let me throw him a party, I've been wanting a reason to throw a big Halloween party the last few years, but haven't really had the time, we can celebrate Bridger's birthday right along with it, it will be fun," she attempted to convince him.

"Lulu, you've already done so much for us, I couldn't let you do that," Dante said. "We'll figure something out."

"Well, whatever you decide to do, I'll help whether it is financially or just getting things done," Lulu told him, catching up when the kids when they got to a crossroads in the mall and was unsure which way to go. "Bridger, what do you want to do with your birthday next month?"

He though for a moment before responding, "I want to go camping!"

Lulu looked at Dante and patted him on the shoulder, "You're on your own with that one," she told him.

Being in the fashion industry hadn't changed much about Lulu, she was still a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl—except now she wore designer jeans now. But when it came to lodging, she was a bit spoiled. Her father would disown her if he realized just how much she hated camping now, because Spencers were supposed to be camping pros. Not Lulu, she would much rather be in a hotel with a real bed and real walls surrounding her.

"Oh come on, a little camping won't hurt, it will be fun, taking all the kids," Dante replied.

"Nope, I don't camp, you can take the boys if you want, I'm staying home and I can almost guarantee that Lexi will too," Lulu shook her head with her reply.

"Wow, I haven't got to see the high-maintenance side of you yet," Dante teased.

"Call me high maintenance all you want, but it's not going to make me want to go," she informed him.

"But it's what he wants to do for his birthday," Dante reminded her, slipping an arm around her waist as she pushed Mia's stroller.

"Yeah, he said he wanted to go camping, in no way or form did he say he wanted me to go," Lulu added.

"Do you want to have a birthday party?" Dante asked his son.

"Yeah," Bridger replied excitedly.

"Instead of camping?" Lulu hoped.

"Can we do both?" Bridger asked optimistically.

"How about this…" Lulu began. "We could have the party at my house and then you and your friends could camp in the backyard."

"Okay!" Bridger agreed.

"Of course, you have to ask your dad if that's okay," Lulu added.

"Is it, Dad?" he asked

Dante knew this would mean Lulu was going to go crazy with decorations and candy for the kids, but he also knew saying no would disappoint Bridger.

"Yeah, I suppose we could do that," he agreed.

"Yes!" Bridger exclaimed, jumping in the air.

"Bridger, there's the candy store," Tanner pointed out as the three of them took off running.

"Don't start filling bags until we can help you," Lulu told them as they continued to run. "Is that really okay with you? Because we can come up with something different, I just figured since my yard is so big, we could set up tents at the back of the property and they would feel like they were out in the wild."

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea actually, everyone will get what they want," Dante smiled.

Lulu was elated, "Yay!"

Lexi grew more and more anxious as the week went by, driving Lulu crazy as the dance drew near. She was thankful it was Friday, because she was finishing up Lexi's hair when she heard the front door open.

"Knock, knock," Dante called to announce that it was him.

"We're up here!" Lexi exclaimed from Lulu's room.

Dante carried Mia up the stairs as Bridger bolted past them toward Tanner's room.

"Hi," Lulu said happily when he walked into the room.

"Hey," he replied, kissing Lulu lightly so he wouldn't distract her from Lexi's hair.

"Mia!" Lexi squealed to get the baby's attention; Mia looked at Lexi and grinned widely.

"Sit still Lex, I don't want to burn you," Lulu reminded her daughter.

"She'll burn your hair off and then you'll have to go to your dance bald," Dante added, causing Lexi to face forward and sit up straight.

"Doesn't Dante look nice, Lexi?" Lulu asked

Lexi looked in the mirror to where Dante was standing behind her in his suit and tie. "Yep," she smiled.

"Where's Bridger?" Lulu asked as Dante put Mia down on the floor to crawl.

"He took off to Tanner's room," Dante replied. "What are your plans for tonight?"

"Well, I have pizza ordered and Tanner's already picked out a movie that he says he and Bridger have been wanting to watch," Lulu explained as she placed the piece of Lexi's hair she just curled in the right spot before spraying hairspray.

"I want pizza," Lexi told her.

"I think you and Dante are going out to dinner," Lulu said, taking once last glance at Lexi's hair. "Okay, I'm done."

"Are we eating pizza?" Lexi questioned as she jumped up.

"No, but I made reservations at that aquarium restaurant in the mall, your mom told me you liked it," Dante said.

"Yes, yes, yes," Lexi squealed as she jumped up and down.

"Go get dressed or you're going to miss your reservation," Lulu told her, Lexi took off into the bathroom to change clothes, Lulu turned to Dante. "She is one excited little girl."

"Am I going to know any of the dads there?" Dante asked. "I don't really know parents who have daughters at PC Prep."

"Well, Nikolas and Raylene will be there, Josslyn and Jax will probably be there, I don't know if you know Robin and Patrick Drake, but their daughter Emma is a couple years older than Lexi, they'll probably be there unless Patrick gets stuck at the hospital, I'll make sure to have Lexi introduce you," Lulu explained. "Some of her friends in her class will probably be there, but she hasn't mentioned names."

"Mom, will you zip this?" Lexi asked, coming out of the bathroom in her dress and silver sequin flats.

"Of course," Lulu replied, zipping the dress, then grabbing her camera. "Let's go downstairs so I can get some pictures."

Dante picked up Mia and they went downstairs. He placed the baby in her exersaucer before joining Lexi at the bottom of the stairs. Lulu started taking pictures. Lexi held her "model" pose with a proud smile.

"I want one with Mia," Lexi said, so Dante went back to get the baby and carefully placed her in Lexi's arms.

Dante stood next to Lulu trying to get Mia's attention by making noises and funny faces at her, causing both the girls to giggle. Lulu got some good pictures of them.

"Boys!" Lulu shouted up the stairs. "Come down here, I want some pictures of you with your sister before she leaves."

"She's not _my_ sister!" Bridger exclaimed as they came down the stairs.

"But she's holding your sister," Lulu pointed out as the boys stood on either side of Lexi as Lulu and Dante got Mia's attention. "Smile boys."

They both smiled as she took some pictures.

"Can we go now?" Tanner asked.

"Yes, you can go now," Lulu said, taking Mia from Lexi as the boys took off back up the stairs.

"Here, let me get a picture of you, Lexi and Mia," Dante suggested, taking the camera from Lulu, once they got in position, Dante smiled before taking the picture. "My three girls."

"Come on Dante," Lexi said, grabbing Dante's wrist. "We're going to be late."

"No we're not, we have plenty of time," Dante said. "Tell your Mama goodbye."

"Bye Mama," Lexi said, hugging Lulu.

"Bye Lexi," Lulu replied as she placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "Will you introduce Dante to Emma and her dad?"

"Yeah," Lexi replied.

She stood in the doorway, watching as Lexi held onto Dante's hand, he helped her into the truck and then got in himself, waving before he pulled out of the driveway.

The pizza guy delivered the pizza and they sat down to eat and watch the movie Tanner had picked out.

"How was your shrimp?" Dante asked

"It was yummy," Lexi replied with a smile.

"I can see why you like this place, it's pretty neat," Dante replied, looking around.

The seating area of the restaurant was placed around a 150,000 gallon aquarium which contained many different kinds of deep sea life, including sting rays, eels and sharks.

"It's so cool," Lexi said, looking into the aquarium. "See that fish right there…it's half-sting ray and half-shark."

"Wow, that's really cool," he replied as the waitress placed a brownie sundae on their table and picked up the check.

"Yummy," Lexi grinned while staring at the dessert.

"Dig in," Dante said, taking one of the spoons. "So do you like fish?"

"Mmhmm," Lexi nodded with a mouthful of brownie and ice cream. "I want to be a marine biologist."

"That's a big aspiration, how did you learn about that?" he wondered, this was something he didn't know about Lexi.

"Last year, when we went to Brazil with Mama for work, Tanner and I got to go snorkeling and I had so much fun, and our tour guide was going to school to become a marine biologist and I thought it was cool and said since I loved it so much, I should do that," Lexi explained.

"Wow," Dante was blown away, he didn't think 8-year-olds even knew what marine biology was. "I bet you will be a good marine biologist."

"Dante…" Lexi began. "Are you going to marry my mama?"

"I don't know, I love your mom very much and I'd like to be with her and you and your brother for a very long time, but we haven't known each other that long and sometimes it takes a long time to get to know each other before you can commit to something like that," he explained. "You remember when your mom and I were apart after I was in the hospital?"

"Yeah," Lexi nodded, taking another bite of the sundae.

"Did that upset you?" He wondered, she nodded in response. "Why did it upset you?"

"Because I missed you and Bridger and Mia and it made me sad to see Mama so sad," she confided.

"Well, we're going to try to not let that happen ever again," he said. "We know that our breakup hurt each other and it hurt you and your brother and Bridger and Mia too and that's the last thing we want to happen, so we're being extra careful to make sure that doesn't happen again…okay?"

"Okay," Lexi smiled.

"So Bridger, if we're going to have that camp out for your birthday party, we need to pick out a theme," Lulu told him. "Do you just want to do a camping theme?"

"Yeah," Bridger said excitedly.

"And we need to make a list of who we're going to invite," Lulu said.

"You, Tanner and Lexi, and my Nonna, and Grandpa, umm…Grandma Laura," Tanner explained. "Aunt Krissy, Aunt Molly, Uncle Michael and Uncle Morgan."

"Molly is your cousin," Tanner pointed out.

"But she said I could call her Aunt Molly," Bridger replied, taking a bite of his pizza before going back to the task at hand. "And Uncle Ronnie too."

"What about friends from school?" Lulu asked.

"Yeah, Levi, Chase, Parker, Cole, Tristan," he paused.

Lulu knew Dante wouldn't be able to handle too many more boys who were hyped up on sugar, so she butted in. "Let's stop there and we'll talk to your dad and see what he thinks, okay?" she said.

"Okay," Bridger agreed. "Lulu, if you and my dad get married, does that mean you'll be my mom?"

"Well Bridger, that's kind of complicated," Lulu told him.

"Mia calls you Mama," he pointed out.

"I know she does, but she doesn't really know any better," Lulu said. "And Mia doesn't really know your real mom like you do."

"But Dad says I can't see my mom," Bridger added.

"I know sweetie," she replied sadly. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't want to replace your mom, but if me becoming your mom is something you want to happen, I would be more than honored to call you my son, but it is also something you would have to talk to your dad about first."

"Okay," he said.

Late that night, after putting Mia to bed and making sure the boys had quieted down in Tanner's room, Lulu started down the stairs to put the left over pizza in the refrigerator. Just as she got to the bottom of the stairs, the front door opened, it was Lexi and Dante.

"Hi," she said happily. "Did you have fun?"

"Uh-huh," Lexi replied. "And my dress was way cooler than Gianna's."

"I bet you had the coolest dress of any girl there," Lulu added. "How about you go get changed into your pajamas and I'll be in to tuck you in soon. Tanner and Bridger are still up if you want to see them."

"Okay," she said before taking off up the stairs.

"What about you, did you have fun?" Lulu asked, snaking her arms around Dante's waist.

"I did actually, I learned a lot about Lexi tonight that I didn't know before," Dante said.

"Like what?" Lulu asked as they made their way over to the couch to sit down.

"Like how she wants to be a marine biologist when she grows up," Dante replied, pulling her legs across his lap. "And she even asked me if we were getting married."

"What did you tell her?" Lulu wondered

"That we hadn't really talked about it, but we wanted to make sure that we didn't end up hurting each other or them," he explained. "She told me how upset she was when we were broke up and how it made her sad to see you so upset."

"Wow, she hasn't even told me that," Lulu said sadly, looking down at her hands in her lap, she knew the breakup had to upset their children, but none of them had voiced their feelings to her.

"She's an amazing little girl Lulu," Dante told her, tilting her chin to make her look at him. "I think you get most of the credit for that one."

"Thank you," Lulu replied modestly as Dante leaned in to kiss her. "You have no idea how happy you made that girl tonight, this is all she's going to talk about for months, so be ready."

"I wouldn't mind hearing about it for the rest of my life, because seeing how happy it made her, made me happy."

"You are perfect," Lulu told him, kissing him again while wrapping her arms around his neck. "What do you say we get kids in bed and let Mia sleep in the guest bedroom tonight?"

"I say you read my mind," he replied.

_So, I hope this chapter didn't disappoint. Let me know what you think. Also, is there any relationship you guys would like to see blossom a little more? Who would you like to see have more interaction?_


	22. Not So Happy Birthday

_Once again, a very belated chapter, but it's another long chapter, so I hope that makes up for it a little. School has slowed down a lot, but I've been taking care of my nieces and nephews and they keep me pretty busy. Anyway, hope all is well and that you enjoy this chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 22 – Not-So-Happy-Birthday**

Lulu had gone all out on the decorations this year, from the fake tombstones and lights in the front yard, ghosts and jack 'o lanterns on the porch to the streamers, cobwebs, candy and creepy music in the house to the entire back yard filled with pumpkins, scarecrows and hay bales.

Everything had been delivered and set up that day and Lulu couldn't wait for the kids to see it. The only thing left to set up was the tent…

"Are you sure that's how it goes?" Lulu questioned Dante as they made an attempt at setting up the large tent near the back of the property.

"That's what the directions say," Dante told her, putting the brace through the top of the tent and allowing it to bend to come back through the sleeve on the same side of the tent, as opposed to letting it go all the way across.

"Well, I say the directions are wrong," Lulu said defiantly.

"Okay Miss I-Don't-Camp, tell me how it goes," he told her, letting go of the tent and crossing his arms.

"I said 'I don't camp,' not 'I don't know how to camp,' City Boy," she playfully backhanded him in the stomach before going over and picking up the sleeve with the brace already in it. "This…has to go all the way across and the other one will come across the other way, otherwise, the tent is going to fall."

"Oh," he said in defeat, realizing she was right.

After getting the tent up correctly, Dante picked up an extra part to the tent and looked at it curiously.

"That keeps the rain out," she told him.

"But it's not supposed to rain, so we don't need it right?" He questioned.

"Well, it is supposed to be pretty cool tonight, so I would put it on in case the wind starts blowing," she pointed out.

"Good thinking," he said. "You do know what you're talking about."

They hooked the rain fly onto the tent, and then stood back to make sure everything looked right.

"Now what do we do?" Dante questioned as they started back toward the house.

"Do you know how to build a fire?" Lulu countered.

"It can't be that hard to build a fire, just stack some logs up and set them on fire," he said, causing Lulu to laugh and shake her head. "What?"

"I don't know who I'll be more worried about tonight, you or the boys," she said, still laughing as she started to walk off.

"Wait, where are you going?" he wondered, grabbing her lightly by the wrist.

"I'm going to go get some of the sleeping bags," Lulu told him, pulling her wrist from his grasp to pat his shoulder. "Have fun getting that fire started."

"No…Lulu wait," he pleaded as he watched Lulu walk back toward the house. "Please help me."

"You get started and I'll be back," she promised.

When she got back to the house, Olivia was holding both of Mia's hands while letting her walk around the coffee table, her new favorite pastime.

"She's going to be running pretty soon," Olivia commented.

"Lord help us when that happens, she crawls at lightning speed as it is," Lulu replied.

"Oh I know, I didn't realize how much she was crawling until today," Olivia leaned down to pick Mia up off the floor. "Did you get the tent set up?"

"Yeah, Dante had no idea what he was doing and I left him out there to set up the campfire," Lulu laughed.

"He's going to set the whole neighborhood on fire," Olivia replied, joining in on the laughter

"Well, luckily we won't be lighting it until this evening," Lulu told her. "I just came in to get some of the sleeping bags and blankets for tonight."

Then there was a knock at the door, so Lulu answered it.

"We're here to deliver the bounce house," the man said.

"Okay, I'll go open the gate and you can just drive into the backyard," Lulu told him.

"Alright," he said before turning to leave as Lulu shut the door.

"Does Dante know you got a bounce house?" Olivia asked, Lulu shook her head in response. "He's going to kill you."

"I know, but when he sees how happy Bridger is, he won't mind," Lulu said.

"I hope you're right because all he's been saying since I got here is that you're spending too much money and he doesn't think you should be doing that," Olivia said. "And he hasn't even seen the party favors we put together last night."

"I know, but I want Bridger to have a good time," Lulu explained as they walked toward the back door.

"Honey, I can guarantee that no matter what, Bridger is going to be happy, you could just do cake, punch and have a campout and he would love it," Olivia said, walking out the back door and into the yard with Lulu.

"I know he would, I just…I don't know, I guess I feel like I have to make it up to him for everything that happened during the breakup," Lulu admitted, opening the large gate. "At least Lexi and Tanner had each other, but Bridger got the brunt of it and I want to make it up to him."

"What is this?" Dante asked, coming up to where they were setting up the pumpkin shaped bounce house.

"It's a bouncy house," Lulu told him.

"Lulu…" he began. "When I told you not to go all out, it didn't mean spend all the money you want."

"But Bridger's going to be so happy when he sees it," Lulu tried to reason, but Dante was too upset to listen. "You want me to have them take it back?"

He let out an angry sigh, "No," he told her. "But tomorrow, we will be setting some boundaries on spending."

"Fine," she agreed.

"Come on, we need to finish the camp fire," he said, gently rubbing her shoulders from behind.

"Finish it?" Lulu turned around to question him. "That would imply that you have at least part of it done correctly."

"She has a point there, Dante," Olivia added.

"I really just can't win with you two," he commented, lacing his fingers with Lulu's.

"Nope, so you might as well get used to it," Lulu replied.

"Just come help me, please," he requested.

"Okay," she said, pulling her phone out of her pocket to look at the time. "Oh, it's almost time to walk down to the bus stop to get the kids."

"Mia and I can go meet them," Olivia offered. "It's not too far, is it?"

"No, but I probably wouldn't carry Mia all the way down there and back, you'll be exhausted, I tried it one day and almost didn't make it back," Lulu replied, knowing that's what she was thinking about. "She should have a stroller in Dante's truck."

"Okay, I'll get it as I head out," Olivia said.

"There's going to be about 5 or 6 extra kids, but they'll probably just take off running back to the house, so don't worry about keeping up with them," Lulu told her.

"I'll keep that in mind," Olivia laughed, turning to go back toward the house as Dante and Lulu went back to the camping area. "We'll be back in a little while."

Lulu noticed Dante had taken several logs and placing them in a tepee shape, which caused her to laugh.

"Is that wrong?" he questioned.

"Okay, here's a little campfire 101," she began. "You have to start out with kindling; otherwise you won't be catching anything on fire."

"So like these twigs and stuff?" He asked, picking up some twigs.

"Exactly," she told him as she began to show him how to build a fire. "Secondly, we're going to crisscross these logs once we put them on the fire because that makes for a better campfire."

After getting the fire set up to where it was satisfactory for Lulu and the people finished setting up the bounce house, they went back toward the house just as kids were running in the front door.

"Hey guys, how was school?" Lulu asked Tanner, Bridger and their friends.

"Good," Tanner replied.

"The yard is SO cool!" Bridger exclaimed.

"It is pretty neat, huh?" Lulu asked.

"Can we go up to my room?" Tanner questioned.

"You can, but they came and brought the bounce house, it's in the backyard," Lulu explained.

"Let's go!" Bridger exclaimed as they all tossed their backpacks on the couch and took off.

"Did you leave Lexi and Joss?" Dante questioned, stopping Tanner and Bridger.

"They're with Nonna," Tanner told him.

"Well listen, I know this is your party, Bridger, but you guys be nice to the girls," he told them. "Let them play with you if they want to."

"We will," Bridger assured him before the herd of boys took off out the backdoor.

Dante and Lulu could hear the excitement when they saw the backyard, Lulu turned to Dante and smiled, "See, I told you he was going to love it," she said as he put an arm around her.

"Yeah, but we still have to have that talk," he reminded her as Olivia, Josslyn and Lexi walked in the door.

"Hey girls, did you have a good day at school?" Dante asked.

"Yep and look at all this candy we got," Lexi said, holding open her Halloween sack.

"Is your costume in your backpack?" Lulu asked.

"Yep," she replied, putting her and Josslyn's backpacks on the couch.

Their school had celebrated Halloween with a party and small carnival. They got to wear their costumes that morning, then had to change before lunch so they wouldn't get them dirty.

"You can go play in the backyard with the boys if you want," Lulu offered.

"Okay," Lexi said as she and Josslyn turned to go out the backdoor.

"What should I do with these backpacks?" Dante wondered, noticing the overabundance of character backpacks on the couch.

"Put our kids' backpacks on the hooks and the rest of the kids' under the table next to the front door," Lulu explained. "Their parents are supposed to be bringing their overnight bags later and can pick up the backpacks."

"Okay," Dante said, picking up the backpacks and putting them where they were supposed to go.

"Are you sure you're ready to put up with 7 little boys in a tent tonight?" Olivia asked as she took Mia out of her stroller.

"Yeah, they're going to have a lot of sugar this evening," Lulu added.

"If they get too crazy, I'll just come in the house and lock them outside," Dante said.

"Oh no, because then they will all end up in the house and I will not be happy," Lulu warned him. "Will you go get pillows from upstairs while I get the sleeping bags I bought for you and the boys out of the garage?"

"Yeah, what about the other boys?" Dante asked as he started up the stairs.

"Their parents are supposed to be bringing that stuff too, but if they don't, we'll get more pillows and blankets later," Lulu told him.

After putting the pillows and sleeping bags in the tents, the rest of the family started to arrive. Dante began grilling while Lulu and Olivia got everything else ready.

Since most of Dante and Olivia's family lived in Bensonhurst, none of them were able to make it. However, Sonny, along with Lulu's family, was able to join them to celebrate Bridger's birthday. They had dinner and cake, then Bridger opened a multitude of gifts.

"This is the last one, Bridger," Lulu said, handing him the large box.

"Who's that from?" Dante wondered as Lulu came to stand next to him and take more pictures.

"Tanner and Lexi," Lulu smiled.

"Whoa!" Bridger exclaimed when he tore the wrapping paper off to reveal a huge remote-controlled Hummer. "Dad, look."

"Yeah, that's awesome!" Dante replied, then turned his attention to Lulu. "I can't believe you would do that."

"Do what?" Lulu asked innocently. "If it's going to be too much of an inconvenience, he can keep it here."

"Going behind my back and buying that when you knew I didn't want you to get him anything after going to all the trouble with the party," Dante whispered, so not to cause a scene.

"But that's from Lexi and Tanner, not me," Lulu reminded him with a smile.

"Lulu, this isn't a joke, I'm tired of you spending all this money on us," he said.

"I'm sorry, but Lexi and Tanner really did ask to get that for him and I couldn't pass it up," Lulu said.

"Dad, can we open this?" Bridger asked excitedly as he brought the large box over to Dante and Lulu.

Dante glared at Lulu with disdain. She realized how pissed he was with that single look. It really made her feel low, so she turned to walk off before she started to cry.

"Well, I think we're going to head home, Lu," Nikolas told her, catching her lightly by the arm before she went into the house.

"Okay," she smiled, hugging her brother, before turning to Raylene and hugging her. "Thank you for coming to Bridger's party."

"Thank you for inviting me," Raylene grinned as Lulu handed her a cardboard "bug box" full of candy, glow sticks and other party favors.

"You're welcome sweetie, tell your brother and mommy they really missed out," Lulu told her.

"I will," Raylene let out a giggle. "Bye Aunt Lulu."

"Bye," Lulu waved as they walked out the door, she was getting ready to start cleaning up when Carly stopped her.

"What was that little exchange between you and Dante about?" Carly asked.

"What are you talking about?" Lulu feigned ignorance, watching Dante help Bridger open the SUV, clearly unhappy about doing so.

"Oh no, you can't play that game with me, Lulu, I'm the one you learned it from," Carly told her. "I want to know why you're almost in tears."

Lulu sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get out of telling her cousin what was going on, so she grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the garage for some privacy.

"Dante and I have been arguing over money lately," Lulu confessed.

"Why?" Carly questioned. "You have plenty of money, it should be a non-issue."

"I know, but he doesn't think it's right to be spending all of my money on them," she said

"It's just a party, we throw parties all the time, at least this time there was a reason," Carly tried to reason.

"It's not just the party…" she said, pausing. "I paid for Bridger's school tuition."

"Well, he might as well be your child as much time as he spends with you," Carly replied. "And you and Dante are getting pretty serious."

"No Carly, I appreciate you trying to defend me, but I overstepped some boundaries this time," she admitted as the tears started to fall freely now. "All I wanted was for Bridger to have a good birthday and for all of us to enjoy it as a family, but I had to go and screw everything up."

"Well, he shouldn't be taking it out on you during the birthday party," Carly said, hugging her cousin in an attempt to console her. "Do I need to go knock some sense into him?"

"No, that will probably just make things worse," Lulu said, wiping the tears from under her eyes. "I'm just ready for this day to be over with."

"No, you just need to go out there and enjoy the rest of the day with your kids and make sure they have the time of their lives, don't worry about Dante or anyone else," Carly told her, fixing Lulu's makeup a little.

"Thanks for listening to me Carly," she told her.

"That's what cousins are for," Carly replied. "But really, if you need me to punch him out, let me know."

"Thanks, but that won't be necessary," Lulu said as they went back into the house.

Later that evening, after all the guests had cleared out and it had started to get dark. So Lulu decided to get the surprise game she had bought for the kids. When she stepped out onto the back deck holding a large box of laser tag equipment, she noticed Dante roll his eyes.

"Now this isn't just Bridger's, this is for everyone to play with," she pointed out to the kids. "So everyone grab a vest and a laser gun and you'll all be playing against each other the first time and we'll split you into teams a little later."

Lulu explained how everything worked before letting the kids take off out the backdoor. Dante turned to walk into the living room where Olivia was feeding Mia, but Lulu stopped him.

"Would you mind helping me get the rest of the boys' camping stuff down to the tent?" She asked him.

"Okay," he muttered, picking up some of the sleeping bags near the backdoor.

She picked up the two that were left and they started out the door. They walked through the yard, dodging the kids with their laser guns as they giggled and squealed.

"Looks like they're having fun," Dante commented as they reached the tent a few moments later, it was nearly 100 yards from the house to the tent.

"Yeah, they are," Lulu replied, not sure what else to say, she knew it was just a comment and not so much a friendly gesture to tell her that he had forgiven her.

After rolling out the sleeping bags in silence, they started back toward the house and Dante took her hand in his. She laced her fingers with his, but neither of them said a word. As they reached the back deck, Lexi came running up behind them.

"Mama, do I have to play laser tag?" she asked

"No, not if you don't want to," Lulu offered. "Why, what's wrong?"

"Were the boys being mean to you?" Dante wondered.

"No, I'm just tired of playing," Lexi answered simply.

"Okay, you can go in there with Olivia and Mia," Lulu told her.

Josslyn came running up, "Lexi, are you not playing anymore?" she asked

"No, I don't really want to play anymore, but you can keep playing if you want to," Lexi offered.

"That's okay, I want to go inside too," Josslyn replied as they took off into the house.

"If you want to go on in with the girls, I can stay out here and watch the boys," Dante offered.

"Would you mind if I stayed out here with you?" Lulu asked cautiously.

"No, I don't mind," he told her, taking a seat at the patio table on the deck.

"I'm going to go make sure it's okay with Olivia that the girls are in there," she told him, but he grabbed her hand to stop her.

"I'm sure she doesn't mind," he said.

"I know, but she has been gracious enough to take on full responsibility of Mia today without us even asking her," Lulu said. "I'll be right back."

Lulu walked into the living room to find Lexi and Josslyn each holding onto one of Mia's hands, making her walk around the living room, she turned to Olivia, "Are they okay in here or do I need to have them come back outside?" she asked

"Oh they're fine, they're keeping Mia entertained," Olivia smiled. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Lulu sighed. "I thought this might give Dante and me a few minutes to talk."

"Then I won't keep you," Olivia replied.

Before going back outside, Lulu poured her a glass of wine and grabbed a bottle of beer out of the refrigerator for Dante.

"Thanks," he said when she sat the bottle down in front of him, then took the seat next to him.

"You're welcome," she replied, they sat in silence for a few moments before she spoke again. "Are you still mad?"

"Madder than hell," he told her honestly, taking a sip of his beer before looking at her. "But I would rather take this time to enjoy Bridger's party and be happy, we can talk about it tomorrow."

"Fair enough," she said, knowing better than to push his buttons on the subject. "I just wasn't sure because I figured you would have yelled at me by now."

"I love you to death, Lu, that will never change, I'm mad that you went against my wishes, yes, but…" he paused, at a loss for words. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm more mad at what you've done than at you."

"I know, I screwed up this time," she told him. "I just—"

"Stop," he said firmly. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"Okay," she agreed, then got an idea. "You know, there are two extra laser guns and vests because Lexi and Joss went inside…"

"I bet if we teamed up, we could kick some ass," Dante said, looking at her deviously. "Last one on the field is a rotten egg."

They grabbed Lexi and Josslyn's vests and guns from the back steps and took off to where the boys were playing laser tag and began shooting.

At first the boys were confused before they realized Dante and Lulu had ganged up on them.

"Get 'em!" Bridger's friend, Levi, shouted.

Lulu quickly jumped behind Dante and they both started shooting as quickly as possible, but soon they were out of ammo and were too far from the reload target.

"Retreat!" Dante exclaimed as he and Lulu took off running toward the house.

"And don't come back!" Tanner shouted.

"Well, so much for that," Lulu said, laughing as they sat down on the steps to the back deck.

"It was fun while it lasted though," he replied.

After sitting and watching them for awhile, Lulu decided to go get the stuff ready for s'mores.

"I'll get the laser tag stuff put up," Dante offered.

"Okay, just leave the box out here because the boys might want to play again after we make s'mores," Lulu said, sliding down out of her chair to stand. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he answered before Lulu turned to go inside.

After the kids got into their pajamas, they all went down to where the campfire was and began making s'mores. Once he made sure all the kids had things under control, he sat down next to Lulu, who was toasting a couple of marshmallows.

"Are one of those for me?" he questioned

"Maybe," she grinned. "Did you bring me some chocolate and graham crackers?"

"Maybe," he replied, holding out a plate with two sets of graham crackers and chocolate on them.

Lulu used her fingers to push the marshmallows onto the s'mores, which resulted in her thumb and index finger to be covered in melted marshmallow. She moved her hand toward Dante as if she was going to smear it on his face, but he gently grabbed her wrist with his free hand. He took her thumb into his mouth, then her index finger, swiping the marshmallow from her fingers with his tongue, sending chills down her spine.

"Okay, let's keep it PG here," Olivia announced.

Lulu quickly pulled her hand away when Olivia startled her, afraid the kids may have seen them. Luckily they hadn't. Dante had a smirk on his face because Lulu was obviously flustered.

"Come on, I was just helping you get marshmallow off your fingers, there's no harm in that," he tried to reason with her.

"I know, but with the kids right there, especially someone else's kids, we shouldn't be doing that," she said, forcing a bit of a laugh.

"Oh wait, you still have some more on your thumb, let me get it," he told her, grabbing her wrist.

"No," she said quickly as she pulled her arm away.

"I'm kidding," he replied, taking her hand in his and kissing her knuckles sweetly.

By the time all of the s'mores were gone, Mia had started to get cranky, signaling her bedtime. Being outside had also gotten to Lexi and Josslyn; they were ready to be inside watching a movie and playing games.

"I think it's time for the girls to go inside and get started on our slumber party and leave you boys to your camping," Lulu told Dante.

"Okay," he agreed, then walked over to Olivia. "Night Ma."

"Goodnight, have fun," Olivia replied.

"Oh we will," Dante said, almost in a sarcastic tone. "Goodnight Mia, be good for Nonna and Lulu.

"Goodnight Dante," Lexi hugged Dante.

"Night Lex," he answered, hugging her back.

Lulu came to stand at his side after saying her goodnights to the boys, she looked at Lexi and Josslyn, "You two go on inside with Olivia and I'll be there in a minute," she told them, the pair took off after Olivia who had already started toward the house with Mia.

"So what do you have planned for the boys?" Lulu asked Dante, snaking her arms around his neck while his went around her waist.

"They won't just go to sleep?" Dante wondered, seriously.

Lulu laughed and shook her head, "Lucky for you, I put some game ideas in the bag you brought out here," she told him.

"Ah, you're a lifesaver," he replied.

"I know," she grinned before he leaned in to kiss her. "And if all else fails, pull out the laser tag game again."

"Are you going to leave the backdoor unlocked?" he wondered.

"No, I thought I would see how long you can tough it out," she replied sarcastically.

"Very funny," he had a smug look on his face.

"It will be unlocked and if it gets too cold, carry sleeping bags in and the boys can all sleep in Tanner's room," Lulu told him.

"Okay," he nodded.

"See you in the morning," she said before they shared another kiss. "Love you."

"I love you too," Dante replied.

When Lulu got in the house, Lexi and Josslyn already had Pictionary ready and the movie in the DVD player.

"I want to be on Nonna's team!" Lexi exclaimed as Lulu sat down on the couch.

"That means you're stuck with me, Joss," Lulu told Josslyn.

"Okay," Josslyn grinned, she didn't mind.

"We have to wait for Nonna to get Mia to sleep though, but that shouldn't take long," Lulu said.

"It didn't take long, she was out like a light," Olivia said as she came into the living room, catching the last of their conversation.

"It's been a busy day and she didn't get that long of a nap with everything that was going on," Lulu pointed out as Olivia took a seat on the couch.

"Can we start the movie now?" Lexi asked.

"Go for it," Lulu told her, then looked at Olivia. "Lexi already claimed you as her Pictionary partner."

"Oh really?" she asked, then smiled at Lexi. "I am honored."

Before finishing their second round of Pictionary, Lexi and Josslyn had turned their attention to the movie that was playing. Lulu went and got Olivia and herself some wine.

"Thank you," Olivia said, taking the glass as Lulu sat back down on the couch. "So did you get a chance to talk to Dante about the money situation?"

"Not really, he wants to wait to talk about it tomorrow after all the kids leave," she explained.

"But he's not mad at you anymore right?" she questioned. "I mean, that whole scene at the campfire…"

"Oh, he's still mad," Lulu said. "He just said he didn't want to interfere with Bridger's birthday, he wanted us to enjoy it as a family, I agreed and that was the end of it."

"Well, I'm sure by tomorrow he won't even think anything of it," Olivia told her.

"I don't know," Lulu sighed. "He hasn't seen the party favors I got for the boys staying the night."

"Oh, the pillowcases," Olivia said.

Lulu had ordered personalized pillowcases for the boys staying the night, they went along with the camping theme and each one had their name on it.

"Yeah, I wanted to just hide them or throw them away, but Tanner and Bridger have already seen them," Lulu said.

"Well honey, you did go a little over the top for this party," Olivia admitted.

"I know," Lulu muttered sheepishly. "But it was a Halloween party too, so it wasn't like I was just spending this on Bridger."

"But you and I both know Dante won't see it that way," Olivia said. "I don't blame you Lulu, I really don't, I get that you want Bridger to have a good birthday. It's just that you're used to being able to do these kinds of things, but Dante has never been able to spend money the way you have and I think it intimidates him to think that you can provide for his children when he can't."

"I know," Lulu repeated

She did know…she realized she had screwed up. No matter how you put it, she had overstepped her boundaries this time. He had asked her not to spend a ton of money and—at least to Dante—she had done just that.

The next morning, after she and Olivia cooked breakfast for the entire crew, Lulu was tempted to sneak upstairs and do away with those pillowcases. She could tell Bridger and Tanner they disappeared and she couldn't find them. She was almost dreading the kids going home because she knew that she and Dante were going to get into an argument. She wished that he had just went ahead and yelled at her yesterday, instead of making her wait.

There was a knock on the front door a few moments later, bring her from her daze. It was Levi's mom, she had come to pick up Levi and Cole.

"Let me run upstairs and get their party favors," Lulu told his mom.

When she came back downstairs, Colton's mom had also arrived to pick him up, so she made a second trip to get another box of goodies, along with his pillowcase.

"Here you go, Colton," Lulu said, handing the boy his "bug box" and pillowcase, thankful Dante was in the kitchen feeding Mia.

"Thank you!" Colton told her.

"Bridger, did you tell Colton, Levi and Cole thank you for coming to your party?" Lulu asked.

"Thank you," Bridger replied.

"Thanks for inviting me," Colton said.

"May I ask why his party was here instead of their house?" Colton's mom asked. "Or are they living here now?"

"No, but the boys wanted to have a campout and their yard isn't big enough to put up a tent and have room for the kids to run around, so we decided to have it here," Lulu answered.

"Well that's nice, Colton was just telling me how much fun they had," she replied with a smile.

"Good, I'm glad he had a good time," Lulu said.

"We better go, Colton," she told her son.

"See you at school Monday, Colt," Bridger said as Colton and his mom left.

"Bye," Colton replied.

"Did you finish your breakfast?" Lulu asked Bridger, knowing Dante had sent him in the living room to tell his guests goodbye.

"Yeah," Bridger replied, placing his feet on top of Lulu's and locking his arms around hers, letting her walk both of them back into the kitchen.

When all the boys finished their breakfast, they went outside to clean up around the camping area and make sure there wasn't anything left in the tent so Lulu could help Dante put it away. By the time they were done, Carly had come to pick up Josslyn, and Parker's mom had come to pick up him and Tristan.

Lulu came walking down the stairs with the boys' party favors and noticed Dante talking to Parker's mom about how much fun the boys had the night before. Lulu handed the party favor boxes and pillowcases to each boy.

"Whoa cool!" Tristan exclaimed. "It even has my name on it!"

"So does mine!" Parker added.

Lulu shot a sideways glance at Dante and could tell he was holding it in.

"Bridger did you thank them for coming?" Lulu asked

"Yes, he did, he's a very polite young man," Parker's mom replied, smiling at Bridger. "Well we better be going, I told Tristan's mom that I would bring him home."

"Okay," Lulu smiled. "Glad the boys had a good time."

Lulu turned to retreat upstairs, "Lulu…" Dante began, reaching for her hand, but barely missing it.

"Not here," she answered without stopping or turning to face him.

She went into her room and he followed, shutting the door behind him. He immediately began pacing.

"You know, after the present, I thought that might be it, you had no more tricks up your sleeve, but I guess I was wrong," he spat.

"I'm sorry Dante, I just wish that you could see things the way I see them, because—"

"We can't all be like you Lulu!" he shouted. "We can't just blow our money on pointless things!"

"Pointless?" she countered, also raising her voice. "You call your son's birthday party pointless?"

"No, but some of the unnecessary things are pointless, like the bounce house and that toy you bought, the extravagant party favors, you didn't even do that for Tanner and Lexi's parties," he pointed out.

"The kids got plenty of stuff at Lexi and Tanner's parties, but we mostly just do a family birthday party and they don't care about that stuff," she said.

"And you think I do?" He questioned. "You think you have to impress me? Lulu, I'm the one who lived without these things all my life, we haven't known each other that long, but I figured you would know by now that it doesn't take money to impress me."

"I don't feel like I have to impress you, I want you to be happy, I want Bridger and Mia to be happy," she replied as the tears began to sting her eyes.

"Money doesn't buy happiness, Lulu," he stopped and shot her a dirty look before he started pacing again. "I thought you would have realized that by now."

She felt the tears start to roll down her cheeks, "I'm s-sorry, I j-just wanted to…help," she sobbed as she sat down on the bed.

"And on top of that, you went behind my back to get all of this done," he wasn't backing down now, he had all this pent up frustration and he was going to get it out now. "I specifically asked you to not do all the extras and you didn't listen to me, it was all about flaunting your money around."

"That's not true and you know it," she stood back up, she was getting angry.

"No, I don't know anymore, Lulu," he shook his head. "Until you can figure out how to fix this problem of yours, I'm done…I'm done being your charity case."

"Charity case? That's what you think I'm doing?" She scoffed. "I did this for Bridger because I love him and I wanted him to have a good birthday."

"He would have had a good birthday with a cake and his family around him, maybe have a few friends over, he would be completely happy with that because he doesn't know anything different," he told her, raising his voice again. "He's my son Lulu! **Mine.** I should be the one who is paying for birthday parties, not you or anyone else."

"Thanks for throwing that in my face," she said sarcastically, pushing past him and walking out of her room, slamming the door behind her.

She started to go back downstairs because she needed to get out of the house for awhile to think. But when she stepped on the first step, she heard Tanner's voice coming from Lexi's room.

"It'll be okay Lex," he soothed.

She stepped into the room to see Lexi crying, Tanner was holding her hand and Bridger had tears in his eyes.

"You heard?" Lulu asked, kneeling down next to the children, she knew she should have at least wiped the tears from her own cheeks before entering the room.

"Are you and Dante breaking up again?" Lexi sobbed.

"Sweetie, things are complicated right now, but I want you to know that I'm not giving up," Lulu told her.

"Why are you crying?" Tanner asked.

"Well, Dante and I both said some hurtful things to each other and it made me pretty upset, but I'm going to go for a drive and clear my head," Lulu answered.

"You'll be back though, right?" Bridger questioned, the tears began to run freely with his question.

"Of course I'll be back, I would never leave you guys," Lulu assured him with a warm smile. "Parents fight sometimes, you have to understand that, but just because we fight, it doesn't mean we're going to leave and never come back…okay?"

This was the first time she realized Bridger's issues with people leaving and never coming back, especially women in his life. He had masked it well. If for no one else, she was going to figure things out with Bridger, because in his eyes, if she gave up, she would be no better than Camilla to him.

The three of them nodded, "I'm sorry you had to hear us fighting," she said. "I love all three of you."

She kissed Tanner and Lexi on the forehead, then she put a finger under Bridger's chin so he would look at her, "I'll be back, I promise," she told him before kissing his forehead.

She turned to leave, Dante was coming out of her room as she started down the stairs, but she didn't even look at him, but when he didn't follow her, she figured he went into Lexi's room.

Once down the stairs, she grabbed her jacket and purse from the coat rack and stepped into the doorway of Olivia's room.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Olivia asked as she hooked the last button on Mia's dress before picking her up.

"Dante and I just got into it," Lulu replied, sitting down on the bed. "And the kids heard us."

"They heard you?" she asked. "Were you fighting with the door open? I didn't hear you fighting."

"No, I guess they were coming upstairs and they heard us in there fighting," Lulu said, suddenly standing back up. "I need some time to clear my head, would you mind Tanner and Lexi staying here with you?"

"No, of course not, take all the time you need," Olivia told her, hugging her with her free arm.

"Mama," Mia said softly, putting her hand to Lulu's cheek.

"I'll be back soon baby," Lulu assured her, kissing her little hand. "I love you…thanks Olivia."

"You're welcome," Olivia hugged her again. "Mia, wave bye, bye to Mama."

Mia began opening and closing her hand to wave to Lulu, who smiled in return and waved back.

Lulu left out the garage door and Olivia walked into the living room as Dante was coming down the stairs. "What did you say to her?" Olivia asked, sitting down on the couch.

"I told her that my children and I were not going to be her charity case anymore," he answered, sitting down on the couch next to her.

"Just like that?" she questioned.

"Pretty much," he said, thinking Olivia would take his side, instead she slapped him upside the head. "What was that for?"

"You know how much your kids mean to Lulu, she thinks of them as her own and you refer to them as _your _children!" Olivia exclaimed.

"Last time I checked, they were my children," he replied.

"But you shouldn't be throwing that in her face when you know how much she wants them to be hers," she told him.

Dante sighed, "I know, but she just made me so damn angry," he said. "Where did she go?"

"She didn't say, but she said she needed to clear her head," Olivia explained.

"I had the same idea, but the kids were upset, so I told them we could go to the park," Dante said.

"Good, when you decide to quit being an asshole, you can come back and beg for Lulu's forgiveness," Olivia told him.

"Me beg for forgiveness?" Dante questioned. "She's the one who went behind my back and did the exact opposite of what I had been asking her to do!"

"That's something you can compromise on when you're both being rational," Olivia reminded him. "You really hurt her, Dante."

Before Dante could reply, the kids came bounding down the stairs.

"Do you want to go with us, Nonna?" Bridger asked Olivia. "We're going to the park."

"No, I think I'm going to stay here," Olivia replied.

"Do you mind keeping Mia or should I take her with me?" Dante asked

"I'll keep her, you guys go have fun," she said.

When they got to the park, the kids went straight for one of the two playgrounds. There weren't very many people in the park; he figured it was because everyone was getting ready for Halloween.

He sat down on a nearby bench to watch the kids and hadn't been sitting there very long when he heard a noise behind him, but before he could turn to look, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head before everything went black.

**Elm Street Pier**

Lulu wasn't sure where to go, but knew that as hard as she had been crying, it probably wasn't the best idea to be driving. So here she was, on the pier watching boats go by and replaying her argument with Dante over and over in her head.

Sure, she was wrong for going against his wishes and she was willing to accept him yelling at her, but she didn't think she deserved what he had said. Obviously, Bridger and Mia weren't her children, but she sure felt like they were hers and treated them no different from Lexi and Tanner. It was kind of like an unspoken code that they had, because Dante and Lulu had filled the void of the missing parent in their children's lives.

Maybe it was a bad idea to bring the kids into this. Maybe it was a bad idea to even think they could make their relationship work. They had both been so damaged that it was impossible to have a functional relationship. Then again, they had overcome a lot too.

She had been sitting there for almost an hour when her phone began to ring, bringing her from her daze. She looked at the caller ID, it was Dante. _Reject._

She really didn't feel like listening to him yell at her for something she wasn't completely sorry for, especially after what he had said to her. The phone was silent for a moment as it went to voicemail, but shortly thereafter, it began ringing again. It was Dante again, so she pressed the 'reject' button once more.

Even if he was calling to apologize, she didn't want to hear it at the moment. Eventually she would hear it and probably accept it, but not now. She waited a few moments later and her phone began to ring, signaling a text message.

_Call me ASAP. It's an emergency._

Lulu wasn't sure if there was really an emergency or if he was just saying that to get her to call. There was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach when she decided he wouldn't have called twice in a row and texted her if it wasn't an emergency. She hit the buttons to call him back.

"Lulu," he said, sounding a little relieved.

"What?" she snapped.

"It's the kids…they're gone," he said.

* * *

_I hope that made up for lost time. Let me know your thoughts!_


	23. The Search Is On

_First of all, __a big thank you to everyone who left feedback. It is greatly appreciated! _So this chapter is really short compared to the last few, but I didn't want to leave you hanging until I had time to write a super long chapter. Hope all is well.

**Chapter 23 – The Search Is On**

"What do you mean the kids are gone?" She stood up quickly, feeling a little lightheaded when doing so.

"I-I, someone knocked me unconscious in the park and when I woke up they were gone," Dante said.

"Did you call the police?" she asked, realizing that might have been a dumb question since Dante was part of the police. "I mean like, the ones on duty."

"Of course I called them," he said. "They're here collecting evidence."

"I'll be right there," she said, before hanging up the phone.

She knew it would take longer to walk back to the parking lot and drive to the park than it would to walk the short distance there. The tears that had slowed began to fall faster now as she took off running toward the park.

When she reached the north entrance to the park, there was on officer standing guard there. She started under the yellow tape, but he stopped her.

"This is a crime scene ma'am, I can't let you through," he said.

"I know it is, my children were kidnapped, Dante Falconeri is my boyfriend," she snapped.

"My apologies, Detective Spencer said you would be here," he replied, holding up the yellow tape, allowing her to enter.

She got to the playground she knew the kids liked the most and saw Dante; she followed her instincts and immediately ran into his arms. They stood here holding each other for a few moments.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he finally said, she could tell by his voice that he was crying. "This is all my fault, if I hadn't yelled at you, this wouldn't have happened."

"Are you okay?" she panicked, noticing he was holding an ice pack to the back of his head when she pulled away.

"I'm fine, we just need to find the kids," he replied.

"My babies," Lulu covered her mouth before a sob could escape.

"We're going to find them," he assured her, pulling her back into his embrace.

"Do you think they ran away?" she questioned, stepping away from him.

"We considered that, some of the officers have been searching the area," Dante told her. "But why would they run away?"

"Oh, I don't know, I recall an exchange of words at my house a little over an hour ago, followed by crying children and _your_ son asking if I was coming back," Lulu answered coldly.

"Lulu…" he sighed.

"I'm just saying, that would be enough to make me want to run away," she said.

"Dante…" Lucky said as he approached them. "Mac wanted me to make sure you didn't see any kind of suspicious people or vehicles around when you entered the park."

"Not at all," Dante answered. "But I wasn't really on the lookout for suspicious people."

"But you are aware that your father initiated a possible mob war last night by blowing up a shipment in the harbor?" Lucky asked

"That bastard," Lulu mumbled

"No, I wasn't, h-he was at Bridger's party last night, but those aren't the kinds of things we normally talk about," Dante answered.

Lulu suddenly felt sick to her stomach again, "I have to go," she spoke as she began walking quickly back toward the park entrance.

"Lulu, wait," Dante called after her, but Mac stopped him.

"I can't let you leave just yet," he told him.

Once out of the park, she picked up the pace and ran back to the parking lot where her SUV was parked. She was fuming, to the point that she wasn't thinking straight. How could she be so stupid to put her feelings above her children and pick a dangerous life with Dante over a safe life with her children? How could she be so stupid as to think they could protect their children from the mob? She knew better than anyone that no matter how careful you are, anyone can get to you.

Had she not taken Dante back, maybe her children would be safe at home, watching cartoons or playing in the backyard. She knew it wasn't fair to blame Dante, but he was right, if he hadn't said that to her, she wouldn't have left and he wouldn't have left and none of this would have happened.

She got in her car and drove to the first place she thought of…Sonny's. Once Milo let her through the gate and told Sonny that she was there to see him, she walked into the living room, mad as hell. He was on the telephone, but she grabbed the receiver and slammed it down on the base.

"You worthless bastard, you fix this _NOW_!" she roared

"What are you talking about?" he questioned.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" she continued, placing her palms on his desk. "My children are missing because of your carelessness; one of those children is your grandchild."

"The kids are missing?" he asked, standing up. "What happened?"

"They were at the park with Dante and someone knocked him out and we're assuming they took the kids," Lulu told him.

"And how is that my fault exactly?" Sonny asked.

"Because you had a shipment blown up last night and used Bridger's party as an alibi," Lulu began to pace. "That's the only logical reason we can come up with as to why someone would want to take my kids…and don't try to lie to me, Sonny."

"Lulu, the men in my line of work may be ruthless, but they don't target children," he told her.

"Like I believe that," she rolled her eyes. "You already practically handed my husband over to your enemies almost 6 years ago and I'll be damned before I let this world take my kids too."

"You know good and well that I didn't hand Johnny over to Fuentes!" Sonny raised his voice, then stepped around her to pour a glass of scotch.

Lulu was ready to kill him when she walked in the door, but when she said that name. It took all she had in her to keep from doing some type of bodily harm.

"But you played it off as if Johnny was the most valuable man in the organization, then left him unguarded!" She exclaimed.

"Johnny was reckless, Lulu…in everything he did, he was reckless," Sonny said, this time a little more calm. "He left that night without any guards."

"And you couldn't send any to follow him when you knew you were in the middle of a mob war?" She questioned. "So it's his fault, right? And it's probably my kids' fault that they were kidnapped too, isn't it?"

"Lulu, I'll do anything to bring those kids home safe, just tell me what I need to do," he said.

"I don't care what you have to do, but if Lexi, Bridger and Tanner are harmed in any way, that's on you," she pointed her finger at him, before turning to walk out.

When she got to the car, turned on her Bluetooth earpiece and connected it to her phone before turning out onto the main road and dialed a number.

"'Tis I, The Jackal," Spinelli answered.

"Spinelli, I need you to do me a huge favor," Lulu said.

"Original Blonde One, I had a feeling you would be calling," Spinelli replied. "I have already started pulling footage from the park in every direction."

"Did you find anything?" She asked

"Unfortunately, the city of Port Charles recently installed new cameras around town and they have yet to work out all the bugs," Spinelli answered. "Therefore, they only produce one picture every seven seconds."

"But it takes at least seven seconds to put three kids into a getaway car," she reasoned.

"Yes, but in this case, three black vans were parked on Market Street, all in a row, the offspring of the Original Blonde One were loaded into one of the vans, but after they took off, it is hard to tell which one the children are in," he explained.

"Can't you like read the license plates or something?" Lulu questioned. "That should give us a clue."

"You can actually, but in this case, it is useless, because the vans have forged plates, all with the same number," Spinelli answered.

"Damn it," she huffed.

"But fear not Original Blonde One, The Jackal will continue his search," Spinelli told her. "I still have quite a bit of footage to go through before I figure out which road they left town on or if they even left town."

"Thank you Spinelli," she replied. "Let me know if you find anything out."

"I will," Spinelli said before they ended the call.

She really dreaded going home, but she knew it had to be done. By now, Lucky had officers set up patrolling the house and probably had their phone lines tapped. Her mind drifted to Dante. Where was he? She half hoped he would be at the house waiting for her, but the other half was praying he had already left.

Lulu pulled into the driveway to see his truck parked there. She also noted there was an unmarked patrol car parked across the street. She turned off the ignition and just sat there. Soon the tears started to fall and her body started to shake. Everything was starting to sink in, her anger faded into sadness and fear. She leaned her head against the steering wheel and just let herself cry.

When she finally talked herself into going inside, she opened the door to find Dante in the kitchen feeding Mia.

"Hi," he said when he turned to see who it was.

"Hi," she replied. "What's the latest?"

"Well, they have the house phone tapped in case the kidnappers contact us for a ransom," Dante said, giving Mia a bite of macaroni and cheese. "And they're still looking near the park in hopes that the kids may have run away."

"They didn't run away," Lulu told him, noticing Mia was nodding off in between bites.

"How do you know?" He questioned, getting a wipe to clean Mia off before she fell asleep.

"Spinelli is going through the footage," Lulu said.

"Of course he is," Dante said sarcastically.

Lulu rolled her eyes, "He saw them putting the kids in a van, but there are three exactly alike all together, he's trying to figure out which direction they're headed," she said.

"And what are you going to do, go after them? Take them down single-handedly?" He questioned, taking Mia from her high chair and handing her to Lulu.

"If that's what it takes, then yes," she answered, allowing Mia's head to rest on her shoulder.

"If you go, I'm going with you," he said defiantly.

"No you're not," Lulu told him, turning to leave the kitchen.

"Lulu, I'm not saying you can't do it, I'm just saying it would be a lot easier if you had backup," he said, following her into the living room.

"I'll think about it," she conceded, sitting down on the couch to rock Mia. "But that doesn't make things okay between us."

"I know," he replied quietly, pausing for a moment. "I'm going to go to my house to get some things so we can be ready when Spinelli calls."

"I haven't said you could go with me," she reminded him.

"I realize that, but if you leave on your own, you can bet I'm going to be right behind you," he said.

"Stubborn ass," she muttered.

"As are you, my love," he leaned over the couch and kissed the side of her head. "Ma's taking a shower, but should be out soon and she can take Mia if you want her to."

"No, I just want to sit here and hold her, I feel like if I hold her close enough, she'll be safe," Lulu said, wrapping her arms around Mia, who was now asleep.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect our kids when they needed me most," Dante told her, honestly.

"Well, I was stupid to think that they were going to be safe when you are the son of Sonny Corinthos," Lulu replied.

"So now you're regretting us getting back together?" He asked defensively.

"A little, yeah," she admitted.

"And you think it's my fault the kids were taken because of the mob?" He questioned, raising his voice.

"No! I think it's my fault for ignoring the fact that no matter what, being involved with you is not safe, for me or my children," she replied, also in a louder tone. "It's Sonny's fault for being so reckless because he's never the one who ends up hurt, it's someone he loves, someone who doesn't deserve to be harmed."

"Then why the hell do I feel like you're trying to blame me for the entire situation?" He exclaimed.

"Hey, hey, hey," Olivia said, coming into the living room. "This needs to stop. NOW. You two need to be working together, not screaming at each other. Fighting isn't going to solve any problems. It doesn't matter who's right and who's wrong, because it's not going to find your children."

Dante pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, willing his headache to go away, "Sorry Ma," he told her.

"You don't need to apologize to me, you're not hurting me," Olivia replied. "But you are hurting each other and your kids."

Dante and Lulu exchanged glances. They knew she was right, but neither was ready to swallow their pride and both were kicking themselves for being so reckless when it came to protecting their children.

"I have to go get some things ready in case we have to take off after the kids," Dante spoke up.

"I'm going to go upstairs and lay down with Mia," Lulu added, standing up.

"You two are impossible," Olivia threw her hands up in the air in defeat.

Lulu lay in bed watching Mia breathe, but she couldn't will herself to sleep. She wondered where her kids were. Were they scared? Hungry? Cold? The only thing that eased her mind was the fact that she knew the kids were being used as leverage against Sonny and unless they were backed into a corner, they wouldn't harm the kids.

She felt like she had been lying there for over an hour and was just about to doze off to sleep when she felt someone touch her arm. She rolled over to see Dante.

"Spinelli just called, he said the vans were headed toward Buffalo and he was going to try to find out where they went from there," Dante said.

"So you think they're headed for Canada?" Lulu sat up.

"Maybe, if they could make it through customs with the kids, it would be the logical thing to do," Dante said.

"We can take the Crimson jet," Lulu told him.

"Okay, we need to get going, they're probably almost to the border by now," Dante replied.

After calling the airport to have the jet ready to go, Lulu got her stuff ready to go and they took off.

When the jet landed at a private airport just on the other side of the Canadian border, Lulu turned her phone on to find a voicemail.

After accessing the voicemail box, Spinelli's voice came through the phone, "Greatest apologies, Fair Lulu, it looks as if The Jackal may have spoke too soon, the vans left town headed toward Buffalo, unfortunately their path did not lead to Canada, but instead they headed toward Erie, Pennsylvania."

"Damn it," Lulu cursed as Spinelli was giving times and further explaining the situation, the call had been made shortly after they took off to Canada.

"What?" Dante questioned.

Lulu started to call Spinelli, but told Dante, "Call the pilot and tell him to head toward Erie," she said, he complied.

"Blonde one, I'm glad you called, the vans have surpassed Erie and are not en route toward Cleveland," Spinelli said when he answered the call.

"Tell the pilot to go to Cleveland," Lulu told Dante. "Spinelli, is there any other way you could track the vans, maybe by On-Star or a GPS signal or something?"

"I'm afraid not, Blonde One, I had also hoped for that, but no such luck," Spinelli explained.

"Okay, well I appreciate your help Spinelli," she smiled, earning an eye roll from Dante. "We're heading toward Cleveland, so if I don't answer, leave me a message so we'll know where to go when we land there."

"I most certainly will, Fair Lulu, I would do anything to help find mine and Fair Maximista's most beloved Godchildren," Spinelli said.

"I know you would, that's why you're their Godfather," Lulu smiled.

After ending the call, Lulu leaned back in her seat, placing her head on the headrest, but then she had a sick feeling overcome her. She placed her hand on her forehead and let out long breath.

"You okay?" Dante questioned.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little queasy, I haven't eaten since breakfast, I'm probably just hungry," Lulu answered, not moving.

"Then the first thing we do when we get to Cleveland is getting you something to eat," he told her.

"No, the first thing we're doing is getting our kids back," she corrected him.

"Lulu, we're already going to be ahead of them, we'll have time, you need to eat," he said.

"I don't want to do this Dante," she sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Do what?" he asked defensively.

"This!" she exclaimed, sitting up to face him. "You don't get to hate me and then play the doting boyfriend."

"Lulu, I don't hate you, I'm angry at you, yes, but I don't hate you," Dante said. "You can't be getting sick because the kids and I need you, now more than ever."

He could see the fear in her eyes, which were filling with tears. "I can't deal with this right now," she said, getting up and moving to another seat.

Dante then realized that she was pushing him away because she was afraid. He thought it was just because she was angry at him, but that look in her eyes told a whole different story. Now he just had to figure out how to get through to her so he could apologize and she would actually listen to him.

He felt the plane get ready for take off, so he settled back into his seat and watched Lulu adjust her seatbelt and stare out the window.

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know if you did or not._


	24. Wild Goose Chase

_I know you guys are having withdrawals, especially since I'm slacking because of FCW. So this is a short chapter, but it's better than nothing at all, right? I hope you enjoy it and I hope to get another chapter out soon :)_

**Chapter 24 – Wild Goose Chase**

After landing in Cleveland, they didn't have much time to eat before they had to cross paths with the vans, but Dante made sure to get some granola bars our of the vending machine at the rental car place.

Lulu's phone rang, it was Spinelli again, "Any word?" she asked as Dante headed toward the interstate.

"Yeah, they're on I-480 headed west toward the airport," Spinelli told her.

"Okay, we're just leaving the airport, headed east, should we be going the other direction?" Lulu questioned.

"Yes, but you will need to hurry," Spinelli replied.

"Dante, we need to be going the other way as soon as you can," Lulu told him.

"How does he know these things?" Dante wondered, exiting off the interstate.

"Traffic cameras," Lulu whispered as Spinelli explained where they needed to be.

By the time they got where they needed to be, the three black vans went flying passed them.

"Spinelli, we've got them, I'll call you back," Lulu said into the phone before ending the call. "Hurry Dante, catch up to them."

"No, we don't want to tip them off, we have to stay back," Dante told her. "It's not like we're just going to be able to pull them over and tell them to give us our kids back."

"I just don't want to lose them," Lulu replied.

"We won't," he assured her, speeding up a little.

Lulu looked at the GPS, "We're about to come up to this interchange, so watch for them to exit," she told him.

"Okay," Dante said, focusing on the road, but keeping an eye on the vans.

Suddenly, two of the vans took the exit as one van stayed straight.

"They split up!" Lulu exclaimed.

"What should I do?" he questioned, trying to think quickly.

"I don't know," Lulu was flustered.

"Then just pick," Dante told her.

"Follow the two vans because there's a higher chance they're going that way," she said, covering her eyes as if she was afraid to look.

After driving a few miles on, they came to another interchange and the two vans that were together split. This time, Lulu made Dante choose which direction to take. He followed the van which took the exit, since the route was backtracking a little, he figured they were just trying to confuse him.

Dante's phone began to ring, he pressed the button that would connect the call through the car's speakers, "Falconeri."

"That's the first wrong choice you made today, detective," the voice, which neither of them recognized, said into the phone.

"Where are my kids?" Dante asked through gritted teeth.

"They're right here with me, safe…for now, at least," the voice said. "We're going to play a little game, but first we have to lay down some rules…no police, other than yourself, of course, detective. Second, we will be doling out clues along the way, you will be the one to pick up the clues, no one else and no funny business, or your children and that beautiful blonde sitting next to you will get to be the casualties. Third, you can't get ahead of me, because I'm calling the shots. To make it fair, each clue will have an estimated time, if you are at the next location before said time, game over. I will have people watching to make sure this doesn't happen, which I doubt it will. After the last clue, if you catch up to us before we get to our destination, you might be able to save these little brats, if not, good luck finding them afterward."

Lulu could tell Dante was furious at this point, so she reached over and took his hand in an attempt to calm him down.

"I'll make this first one easy on you," the voice said. "Football season is almost over, but you may be able to catch Buckeye fever when you get your next clue at 7 PM tonight."

The line disconnected. Lulu started to cry.

"Damn it," Dante muttered under his breath.

"What are we going to do?" Lulu wondered as they continued down the interstate in Cleveland.

"Well, we have to think about this a little. Do you know anything about football?" he said, but the smug look on her face answered his question. "Of course not, I don't really know a lot about it either."

"We should probably turn around first," Lulu suggested, Dante was in such a fog that he hadn't realized he needed to backtrack.

"We need to find out about 'buckeye fever,'" Dante said, exiting off the interstate to turn around.

"Let me look it up," she said, pulling out her phone and looking up the term. "The buckeyes are a college football team."

"Where?" Dante asked, staying focused on the road.

"Columbus," she answered. "And they play tonight."

"Can you get an address to the stadium?" he asked, getting back on the interstate.

She found it and entered it into the GPS, "That will put us there right around 7," she told him as her phone began to ring, it was Maxie. "Hello?"

"Lulu, what's going on? I just got home and Spinelli tells me these sick freaks have you and Dante on a wild goose chase," Maxie said.

"Yeah, they contacted us and they're going to be dropping clues along the way and we have to follow them," Lulu explained, starting to cry again. "If we don't play along with their little game, they threatened to kill me and the kids."

"Is there anything we can do?" Maxie questioned, her heart breaking for her friend.

"No, they don't want anyone else involved," she replied.

"So where are you headed now?" Maxie wondered

"To Columbus, Ohio," Lulu told her. "Who knows after that?"

"Well, if there's anything Spinelli or I could do, let us know," Maxie said.

"Okay," Lulu sighed.

"I mean it, Lulu," she said sternly.

"Okay, I will, I promise," Lulu assured her. "Oh, can you call the pilot and tell him we don't need the jet anymore, so he can just come back to Port Charles?"

"Of course," Maxie answered.

"Thanks Maxie," Lulu said before they said their goodbyes and ended the call.

Dante glanced at her before putting his eyes back on the road. She was staring out the window, but he could see the tears rolling down her cheeks. He wasn't sure whether to try to comfort her or leave her alone, but figured it was probably best to leave her alone for now.

A little while later, Dante took an exit off the interstate that wasn't on the GPS. He had thought Lulu was asleep by the way she was turned in her seat facing the passenger side window. But when she felt the car slow down, she sat up quickly.

"Where are we going?" she wondered.

"We're stopping to get something to eat," he told her.

"We don't have time to stop to eat, Dante," she shrieked.

"Yes we do," he replied calmly. "What we don't have time for is you passing out and ending up in the hospital."

"If I eat the other half of that granola bar, can we keep going?" she asked, grabbing the granola bar from her purse.

"No, you've had half a granola bar since breakfast, we're stopping to get something to eat," he repeated.

"At least just drive through somewhere," she pleaded.

"Oh, like that's healthy," he said sarcastically.

"Then we'll eat salads, there's McDonald's, go," she said.

"Lulu," Dante groaned.

"I'm serious, if you stop to eat, I'm leaving," she threatened.

"I'm the one with the keys," he grinned teasingly.

"I know how to hotwire a car," she countered.

This was something he didn't know about Lulu, he realized as he sighed in defeat.

"Fine," he said.

"Thank you," she replied.

"Can we at least go inside and order so we can stretch our legs and use the restroom?" He questioned, turning into McDonald's parking lot.

"Yeah, but we're getting it to-go, I'll order while you're in the restroom," she told him.

"Okay," he agreed.

It wasn't that he wasn't anxious to get to the kids, but he knew they weren't going to be getting the kids when they got to Columbus. He also knew that Lulu needed to eat and he had hoped they could sit down and enjoy a meal, instead of rushing and eating in the car. But at least she had agreed to eat. He had bought the granola bars at the car rental place, he knew she liked them, she kept the same brand in her pantry at home and often ate them for breakfast, but today she forced down half of it and put the other half in her purse.

Lulu ordered herself a salad and a burger and fries for Dante, because she knew he wouldn't really want a salad. He had only agreed to make her happy. But honestly, she didn't feel like eating, she just wanted her kids back, all four of her kids. She tried to think back to when—in her mind, at least—Dante's kids became her kids, but it was just something that fell into place when they weren't looking. She couldn't imagine her life without them. Unfortunately, she knew that was a possibility because she knew being with Dante was dangerous, this situation proved that. She wished that she could protect Bridger and Mia like she could protect Lexi and Tanner, by taking them far away from the mob and everything that came along with it, but she knew that wasn't a possibility.

**Somewhere in Kentucky**

"When are you going to feed us dinner?" Tanner wondered, sitting in the back of the delivery van. "We're hungry."

It was nearly 7 and they hadn't eaten since noon. Lexi had heard her stomach growling as well as Tanner and Bridger's, but she was afraid to say anything after the man driving had yelled at them for saying they needed to go to the bathroom.

"Tanner, be quiet, they're going to yell at us again," Lexi whispered.

"Here, make them some more peanut butter sandwiches," the man driving told the other man, handing him the bread and peanut butter along with a plastic knife.

"Why do I have to be the one who does everything?" the other man complained.

"Because I'm the one driving, you idiot, and we can't let the kids starve, they have to be healthy when we get where we're going," the first man said.

"If you want money, our mom can give it to you if you just let us go home," Lexi began to cry.

"And go to jail?" he questioned. "I don't think so."

"My dad's a cop, he could tell them not to send you to jail," Bridger offered as the second man tossed a sandwich to him.

"Yeah right, I don't trust cops," he replied as his phone began to ring. "Yeah?"

"They're here," the voice on the other end of the line said.

"Thank you," he replied before ending the call and dialing another number.

"Falconeri," he answered.

"I hear you made it to your location safe and sound," he said. "Would you like your next clue?"

"I want to talk to my kids!" Lulu exclaimed.

"Now, now, that's not part of the game, we do things on my terms, remember?" he countered.

"Can you at least let them say something so we'll know they're okay?" she asked.

"I guess you'll just have to trust me," he shrugged.

"Listen, if it's money that you want, name your price, I just want my kids back," Lulu pleaded.

The man laughed, "I thought you would've figured it out by now, this isn't about money, it's about revenge," he said. "Okay, on to the fun…even though a trip to the derby is unplanned, you may enjoy a visit to this famous twin spire-topped grandstand, be there no earlier than noon tomorrow and don't try looking for us because we probably won't even be in town."

**Back in Columbus**

The line disconnected, once again leaving Dante and Lulu at a loss.

"A derby…like a horse derby?" Lulu wondered.

"I guess so," Dante answered as he continued to drive. "Look up famous twin spire grandstand."

Lulu typed the phrase into Google on her smartphone, then waited a moment while it loaded, "Churchill Downs, that's a racetrack, right?" she questioned.

"Yeah, where is it?" He asked.

"Home of the Kentucky Derby," she read on the screen.

"That's in Louisville," he told her as she got the address and keyed it in on the GPS.

"It's a little over three hours away," she said when the route came up on the GPS.

"Well, we can either stay the night here and drive there in the morning or we can drive there tonight and stay the night there," he replied.

"We're definitely not staying here, the further we go, the closer we are to the kids," Lulu said firmly.

"You don't know that, they could be back in Port Charles by now leading us on this scavenger hunt that could last who knows how long," Dante retorted.

"Fine, just go home, but I'm not giving up," she spat.

"I'm not giving up either, but we have to consider all of the possibilities," he told her.

"Well, consider all you want, but I'm following these clues and if they lead to nothing, that's on me, but at least I can say I tried," she replied. "Pull over."

"No, I'm not pulling over, I'm staying with you," Dante said. "Partially because I don't want to give up and partially because I don't want to be left on the side of the road in the middle of Columbus, Ohio."

"No Dante, I'm serious, pull over," she repeated. "I think I'm going to throw up."

Dante quickly turned on his blinker and slowed to the side of the highway. Lulu was opening her door and throwing up before the car came to a complete stop. He put the car in park and leaned across the seat to hold her hair back, waiting until she sat up in her seat before he spoke again.

"Are you sure you can make it to Kentucky?" He asked

"I'll be fine," she breathed, closing her eyes and putting her head on the headrest momentarily before she reached over and closed her door.

"Okay, but if you feel like you need to stop for the night, tell me and we will," he said as he pulled back onto the highway.

"I will," she agreed.

"You said you were queasy earlier, do you think it's a virus or something?" He wondered.

"I'm not sure…maybe," Lulu answered, looking out the passenger side window.

"Or it could have been that salad," he said.

"Or I could be pregnant," Lulu added, glancing at him to gauge his reaction.

* * *

_Okay, so I know this was a short chapter, but I felt like I had to give you something and the next chapter will still be pretty long. So let me know what you think!_


	25. The Search Continues

_So I know it's been forever. I've been busy, but I've been slacking too. I won't bore you with details. I hope you like this chapter. The majority of it is just Dante and Lulu, so it might seem to drag on, but they do get some things out of the way that need to be out of the way. Enjoy._

**Chapter 25 – The Search Continues**

"_You said you were queasy earlier, do you think it's a virus or something?" He wondered._

"_I'm not sure…maybe," Lulu answered, looking out the passenger side window._

"_Or it could have been that salad," he said._

"_Or I could be pregnant," Lulu added, glancing at him to gauge his reaction._

She noticed his knuckles whiten as his grip on the steering wheel tightened and he did a double take, "Pregnant?" he asked. "Y-you're pregnant?"

"Maybe…I don't know," she answered, biting on her bottom lip.

"What makes you think that?" Dante asked, she shot him a dirty look. "I'm serious, I don't know those kinds of things."

"Strike one, we have failed to use protection every time we've had sex…strike two, the nausea, fatigue and lightheadedness…strike three, I'm late," she explained.

"How late?" He questioned.

"Four days," she replied. "But the only other time that happened was when I found out I was pregnant with Tanner and Lexi."

Dante ran his hand down his face as Lulu waited for him to say something, but he kept his eyes on the road.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He glanced at her and saw a tear stream down her cheek.

"No, baby…don't apologize," he sighed, reaching over and putting his hand on her leg affectionately.

"I know you're upset, you don't have to pretend you're not, you might as well get it out now," she cried.

"I'm not upset, I'm just kind of shocked," he replied.

"Well, you have two kids, it shouldn't come as a shock that unprotected sex leads to unplanned babies," Lulu retorted.

"I realize that, but I can't help but think about how amazing it would be to have a baby with you," he said with a smile.

"In case you haven't noticed, our relationship isn't in the best place right now and I really hope you don't have the idea that a baby is going to magically fix everything, because more times often than not, it makes things worse when there are already problems," she told him.

Dante realized how hormonal she had become and decided it was best to back down.

"How about we wait until we find out for sure before we discuss this anymore?" He suggested.

"Fine, stop at a drug store when we get to Louisville and I'll buy a pregnancy test," she said.

The rest of the ride was silent, other than her telling him that she booked them a hotel room not far from Churchill Downs. They both knew the other was still angry over everything that had transpired over the last 36 hours and they were both blaming themselves for the kids being kidnapped.

When they got into town, they stopped by Walgreens before heading to the hotel.

"Two beds?" He questioned, walking into the room.

"I would have got separate rooms, but I knew you would be mad at me for spending too much money," she said harshly.

"I'm just saying that we've been sharing a bed for months, I don't know why we can't now," he replied.

"And I'm just saying that I can't really stand to be around you right now, much less share a bed with you," Lulu countered, sitting down on one of the beds.

"Thanks," he said, hanging his head sadly as he sat down on the other bed.

She glanced at him, knowing it hurt his feelings, but she really didn't feel like being around anyone at the moment, much less Dante.

"How many of those did you buy?" Dante wondered as Lulu emptied the plastic bag onto the bed.

"Two boxes, they each have two tests in them," Lulu explained.

"You need that many?" He asked, seriously.

"I just want to make sure either way," she answered. "Did you not have to go through this with Camilla?"

"No, both times she found out from a doctor before she even said anything to be about it," he admitted. "If she ever took those, I never knew it."

"Oh," Lulu said, saddened for Dante, even though she and Johnny didn't care for each other at the time, she still told him before taking the tests when she found out she was pregnant with Tanner and Lexi.

"Well, guess I better get this over with," she said, standing up and walking into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, she emerged, placing the first two tests on the vanity before washing her hands.

"Now what?" He asked.

"We wait," she answered. "It should be about 3 minutes."

"Okay, "he said, she started to walk past him to look out the window, but he gently grabbed her by the wrist from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Lulu, I'm sorry for saying what I did, I was angry and said it in the heat of the moment, I didn't mean it, I know you think of Bridger and Mia as your own, just like I think of Lexi and Tanner as mine," he said.

"But you must believe it at least a little or you wouldn't have said it," Lulu pointed out.

"I _don't_ believe that," he shook his head. "I just think that I should be the one providing for them, as much as you love them and think of them as your own, you have no legal obligation to them."

"That's just it though Dante, children aren't an obligation, legal or otherwise, they're a gift, we don't _have_ to love them, we _get _to love them," Lulu told him with conviction.

"But loving them doesn't necessarily mean spending excessive amounts of money on birthday parties or gifts," Dante countered, pulling her into his lap.

"I know, but that's something that makes me happy," she said quietly as she locked her fingers together at the back of his neck. "But I know you asked me not to go overboard and I did and I'm sorry, I will try to cut back on the spending when it comes to the kids."

"That's all I ask," he replied, leaning in to kiss her briefly.

"But I hope you realize that first birthdays are a big deal and Mia's is going to be spectacular," she told him.

"Lulu…" he warned.

"But Dante! You've survived one year as a single father of two incredible kids, that's something to celebrate," she said.

"But I wasn't single, I had you," he admitted, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "And I honestly don't think I could've done it without you."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, you would have done just fine, you're a great dad," she replied.

"I love you so much Lulu," he whispered, putting his forehead to hers.

"I love you too," she said, pressing her lips to his. "But I honestly don't know how much more of the mob I can take…if we get the kids back—"

"When we get the kids back," he corrected.

"When we get the kids back, we need to consider going into hiding," she joked.

"At this point, I think that's a great idea," Dante agreed.

Lulu glanced at her watch, then back to Dante, "You want to go check those?" she asked.

"Sure," he replied, moving her from his lap onto the bed. "How am I supposed to tell?"

"It will say 'pregnant' or 'not pregnant' on the screen," she

Lulu was nervous. On one hand, she would love to have a baby with Dante, but on the other hand, she knew having a baby was the worst thing that could happen right now. They had just gotten over a major argument, not even moments before, not to mention the fact that three of their four children were missing.

He picked them up, looked at them, then looked at Lulu.

"They both say 'not pregnant,'" he said.

Lulu tilted her head back and breathed a sigh of relief. When she looked back to Dante, she was wiping the tears that were falling from her eyes.

He put the tests back on the vanity and went back over to where she was sitting on his bed. She stood up and threw her arms around his waist.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"I don't know, I'm relieved I guess," she answered. "As much as I would love it, I think a baby needs to be something that we plan for."

"So you are open to the idea of eventually planning for a baby?" He wondered, leaning back to watch her expression

"Well…I mean, we still have to work on our relationship, but eventually, I don't think it would be something I would be opposed to," she admitted.

Dante smiled, "So if you're not pregnant, then what is causing all of these symptoms?"

"I'm not sure, I guess we can go back to the original drawing board," she said, swiping her fingers under her eyes one last time, before walking back toward the vanity. "Stress, exhaustion, dehydration, there are a number of things that could have caused it."

"Do you think you should see a doctor?" He asked, following her as he watched her glance at the tests before throwing them into the trash.

"No, I'll be fine, we have to get the kids back," she said, going to her bag and pulling some pajamas from it.

"I would feel better if you went to a doctor," Dante told her.

"I don't want to argue with you about this, so let's make a deal," she offered. "We won't go right now, but if anything else happens, I'll let you take me to see a doctor."

"And you'll start eating right," he added.

"Okay, but no hovering, that will drive me crazy over everything else," Lulu said.

He held out his hand for her to shake. "Deal," he said as she took his hand and shook it.

"Deal," she replied before he pulled her into an embrace. "Can I get ready for bed now?"

"Yeah, I'm going to take a quick shower," he said, knowing she would take one in the morning.

When he came out of the shower, Lulu's back was to him and he thought she was asleep. But when he started to get in the other bed, she heard him and rolled over to face him.

"Will you sleep over here with me?" she asked

"I thought you couldn't stand to be around me," he commented.

"I lied," she answered, but he seemed hesitant. "Please."

"Okay," he grinned, getting in bed with her, kissing her before getting under the blankets and allowing Lulu to snuggle up to him.

"I miss all of the kids, but I really miss cuddling with Mia," Lulu admitted as they laid in the dark.

"I know, it's too bad she was sleeping when we called, I would have liked to hear her squealing when she heard your voice," Dante added.

"You think the kids are okay?" she wondered.

"I don't know, I try to think that they're using the kids as leverage against Sonny and they aren't going to harm them, but who knows," he answered.

"I hope so," Lulu sighed before she began crying again.

"Hey," he whispered, pulling her closer to him in an effort to comfort her.

"What if we can't get to them in time, Dante?" she asked.

"We're going to, you have to believe that," he told her. "We have to stay positive; the kids need us to do that."

"I'm just so scared, I want to be strong for them, but all I've wanted to do all day is cry."

"Lulu, aside from my ma, you are the strongest person I know, you proved that today by taking off to save our kids," Dante told her. "And if you think crying is a sign of weakness, think again because I know you're not a weak person."

Lulu gave him a faint smile before resting her cheek on his chest.

The next morning, Dante and Lulu had some time to spare before they headed to their next destination. Neither of them had been able to sleep well, so they had gone to an early breakfast, then decided to go to a nearby park.

Lulu was happy she had told Dante she might be pregnant because she was able to put those thoughts to rest and they were able to apologize and talk rationally. It was hard to believe everything that has happened over the last 48 hours. It was like going from zero to 60 in seconds.

She still wasn't sure how things were going to work once they got home. She wasn't even sure if they would be going home with Tanner, Lexi and Bridger or not. But if she was given a second chance with them, she knew she would do anything to keep all of them safe, even if it meant starting over someplace unknown.

"What do you think of Paris?" she asked as they walked along the path.

"I've never been there, why?" He returned.

"Well, I want to start considering places we can move when we get back," she answered honestly.

"You're serious?" He questioned.

"Of course I'm serious," her eyes grew wide as they stopped on the path. "I want the kids to be safe from the mob and we can't do that in Port Charles."

"But we don't have to move all the way to Paris, I was thinking maybe back to Bensonhurst or something," Dante replied.

"But the whole reason you moved out of the city was because of the kids," she reminded him. "And now you want to move back?"

"I don't know, I'm trying to keep our options open," he told her.

"I know, but New York City isn't somewhere I really want to raise kids," she admitted.

"Then maybe we could think about moving separately," he offered.

"Are you serious right now?" Lulu exclaimed defensively. "You're suggesting I just walk out on Bridger and Mia? I don't think so, that wouldn't make me any better than Camilla in their eyes."

Dante chuckled. "That's not what I meant, baby," he rested his hands on her hips to steady her as her breathing had increased from being upset. "I just thought that maybe you could move outside of the city and I could move in with Ma while I save money to move closer to you."

"I don't think being in Bensonhurst is safe," Lulu admitted. "I mean, if it was just us, I would consider it, but I don't want to take the chance with the kids. Sonny has a lot of ties to Bensonhurst and that makes it an easy target."

"That's true," he replied, thinking about it. "Can we at least stay in the US?"

"I'm sure we could," she answered. "We have plenty of options and some time to think it over."

"Right, we need to worry about getting our kids back first," he added before looking at his watch. "We should probably get going."

"Okay," she said as they started toward the car.

When they pulled up to Churchill Downs, they waiting for the phone call, but it never came.

"Are you sure we're at the right place?" Lulu questioned, looking around.

"It has to be," Dante replied. "Are we early?"

"No, it's 12:02," she answered, looking at the clock. "Maybe we should get out."

"Okay," he agreed, they both got out of the car with their phones. "Should we ask someone?"

"Yeah, let's go to the box office," Lulu suggest, so they walked up to one of the windows.

"How can I help you?" the lady in the box office asked.

"Hi, I'm Dante Falconeri and I was wondering if someone may have left something here for me to pick up," he told her.

"Yeah, early this morning a woman dropped this off and said you would be here later to pick it up," she said, handing him an envelope.

"A woman?" He questioned. "Was she alone?"

"Yeah, she was," the lady answered.

"Did you see what she was driving?" Lulu asked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't," she shook her head.

"Okay, thank you," she replied before they turned around to walk off, she immediately ripped open the envelope. "Put on your blue suede shoes and head down to the land of grace, be there no earlier than 7 because this isn't a race."

"What the hell does that mean?" He exclaimed.

"Well, 'Blue Suede Shoes' is a song, right?" she wondered.

"Yeah, it's an Elvis song," Dante replied as they got in the car, he looked at her. "But the land of grace part has me confused."

"My dad used to listen to Elvis all the time, but I don't know much about him," Lulu replied. "Should I call Spinelli?"

Dante sighed, he really hated that Lulu's first thought was to call Spinelli, but he knew it was probably their only option. "I guess."

When Spinelli answered the phone, Lulu updated him on their progress, then read the clue to him, she could hear him typing away at the keyboard.

"Just as I suspected," he announced.

"What?"

"Elvis' home is called 'Graceland,' hence the 'land of grace,'" he explained. "It's located in Memphis, Tennessee…do you need the address?"

"Yeah, that would be great," Lulu replied

He gave her the address and they said their goodbyes before ending the call.

"That will put us there around 6 or 6:30, enough time to eat before we have to be there at 7," Dante said when the route came up on the GPS.

"Perfect," Lulu said sarcastically.

"Hey, we made a deal and you have to eat," he told her as he turned onto the street.

"Even if I throw it up later?" she countered.

"Yes and when you do, we'll be making a trip to the hospital," he said with a nod as he took her hand in his.

"You're impossible," she said lovingly.

"I'm also not backing down," he added, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles.

"Do you think we're going to make it, Dante?" she asked

"Yeah, we have plenty of time to get to Memphis, it will be fine," he answered.

"No, I mean, do you think our relationship is going to make it?" she rephrased.

He did a double take, looking at her as if she had grown an extra head, "Well I-I don't know, I-I can't see into the future," he stammered, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm serious Dante, I want to know if you think we're going to last," she said.

"If it were up to me, I would stay with you forever, Lulu," he answered. "I love you and your kids more than life itself, when we were apart, it nearly killed me. A year ago, I felt hopeless and honestly, I didn't even want to live long enough to see Bridger and Mia have families of their own, but now I picture myself living a long life, spoiling our grandchildren and if I'm lucky enough, you'll be by my side."

He didn't realize she was crying again until she sniffled, "I'm sorry," she said, when he looked over at her. "I wish I wasn't so damn emotional right now."

"It's okay," he assured her, rubbing her shoulder, waiting a few moments before speaking again. "Do you think we're going to last?"

"I want us to, more than anything in the world, that's what I want," Lulu said. "I want to be with you and our kids, I want to hear Bridger call me 'Mom' and when Mia says 'Mama,' I don't want to have to worry about when we'll eventually have to break her of that, I want Tanner and Lexi to have a dad in their lives, but after everything we've been through in the last few months alone…if that's a preview to what a life together would be like, I'm not sure we're going to be able to survive it."

"That's just it though, Lulu…we've been through a lot, more than most couples go through in their first five years of marriage and not only have we survived, we are stronger because of it," he said. "I don't know what it's going to take for you to see that, but I would do anything for you to realize I'm in this for the long haul."

"You don't have to do anything because you've showed me—time and time again—how much you love me and my kids," she replied, touching his cheek lovingly with the back of her hand. "And I know I still have some of my own issues to work through, but I also know I want to be with you for the rest of my life, whether it be a day or a century."

"And we can work through those issues together," he added, taking her hand from his cheek and lacing their fingers together.

"We have to get our kids back first though," she said.

**Somewhere in Texas**

"Come on you little brats, get into the car!" the driver shouted as they switched vehicles for the third time during the trip.

"Okay, we're going," Tanner replied, he and Bridger went first, but Lexi stayed put outside of the SUV.

"Get in the car!" he yelled at Lexi.

"Don't yell at her!" Bridger exclaimed, standing in the doorway of the vehicle.

"You're not the one giving orders around here kid, I am," the man replied, shoving Bridger into the SUV and out of the way, before grasping Lexi's arm tightly. "Let's go!"

"Ow!" Lexi cried out in pain.

"Leave her alone!" Tanner yelled, jumping out of the SUV to defend his sister.

The other man grabbed Tanner and put him into the SUV on the other side, while the driver picked Lexi up by her arm and pushed her into the vehicle.

"Bridger, are you okay?" Lexi asked, all three of them had tears rolling down their cheeks.

"Yeah, my cheek and head hurt, I think I hit it on something when he pushed me in here," Bridger answered as they watched the men smoke outside of the vehicle. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, my arm hurts," Lexi replied, holding it up, you could already see the welts where the man's hand had been holding onto her so tightly. "Tanner, your forehead is bleeding."

"I know, he made me hit my head on the car door," Tanner replied, touching his head.

"I wanna go home," Lexi cried.

"I know Lex, I do too," Bridger said.

"We'll get to go home soon," Tanner added as the two men got into the SUV.

"That's what you think," the driver told him.

"Our mom and dad are looking for us!" Bridger said.

"But they're not going to get to you in time," the other man said, and then looked to the driver. "I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they find out where their precious babies are and that they'll never get them back."

**Back in Tennessee**

"Where are we supposed to go, the gate is locked?" Dante wondered.

"I saw a visitor's center across the street, maybe we go there," Lulu suggested.

"Okay," he said turning around, to go back toward the visitor's center.

Promptly, the phone rang as they pulled into the entrance and Lulu pressed the button to answer it on speaker phone.

"Are we having fun yet?" the man asked

"No, I want to talk to my kids," Lulu answered.

"I'll let you talk to one of them," he agreed.

The next voice they heard was Lexi's, "Mommy…" she said timidly.

"Yeah baby, it's me and Dante's here too," Lulu told her, trying to fight back her own tears.

"I'm scared," she cried.

"We know you are Lex, but we're coming to get you, do you know where you are, does anything look familiar?" Dante asked

"No," she answered.

"Are you and your brothers okay, they didn't hurt you did they?" Lulu asked.

"Yeah, I have a bruise on my arm, Tanner has a cut on his head and Bridger's cheek is swollen," Lexi replied

Lulu let an audible sob escape, handing the phone to Dante.

"Listen to me Lexi…I need you to look out the windows and see if you see any signs that say anything," Dante told her. "But just tell me yes or no."

"No," Lexi said, pausing for a moment. "Mama, I didn't mean to make you cry."

"You didn't make me cry baby, I just want you, Bridger and Tanner safe and in my arms and it makes me sad because I can't have that right now," Lulu replied.

The driver's voice came back over the phone, they could hear Lexi crying loudly in the background.

"Are you ready?" He asked them. "You've seen the birthplace of rock 'n roll, but can you make it to that famous grassy knoll? Be there at 10 AM tomorrow."

The line disconnected.

"Famous grassy knoll," Lulu said, typing it into her phone, they waited a moment for the page to load, then she started looking through the links. "It's where Kennedy was assassinated, Dealey Plaza in Dallas."

"Okay," Dante replied as he found it on the GPS and let it calculate the route. "Baby, that's almost a seven-hour trip…"

"So?" She questioned.

"It's been a long day, I'm exhausted, you're exhausted and I know you still don't feel well, you're just keeping your mouth shut so I don't take you to the hospital," he told her. "Why don't we just stay here and we'll get a little bit of sleep and head out around 3?"

"Because you and I both know that neither of us is going to sleep," she pointed out. "If you're tired, I'll drive, we can get there by 1 if we leave now and if we do go to sleep, it will be easier to get up at 8 or 9 instead of 3."

He stared at her, contemplating their options.

"Please Dante," she pleaded in a huffy tone.

"Fine," he sighed. "But I'm driving."

"Please let me drive, I've been the navigator the entire trip," she begged, not letting him shift the car into drive.

"But you're the prettiest navigator I've ever seen," he smiled, trying to woo her.

"Really?" she asked smugly, knowing what he was doing.

"Baby, you and I both know that you're not the best driver," he said honestly.

That earned him a smack in the chest. "Jerk," she muttered, but knew he was right…not that she would ever admit that to him.

"At least if I'm driving, we can push the speed limit, because I just have to show them my badge," he tried to convince her.

This peaked her interest, getting there faster meant hopefully getting to the kids faster.

"Fine," she sighed, sitting back in her seat.

Dante leaned across the console and kissed her. The little bit of annoyance she was holding onto melted away as he deepened the kiss.

A few moments later, Dante turned his focus to the road as he put the car in drive, "So do you think they're headed to Mexico?" he asked.

"I'm sure," she said, watching out the window.

"But if they wanted to get out of the country, why didn't they just go to Canada?" he wondered.

"Because that's what we expected them to do," Lulu pointed out.

"True," he agreed.

"You know…we've see so many places over the last two days and it's places that most people would love to go to, I've always wanted to take the kids to the Kentucky Derby one day, and I know you'd love to go to the Louisville Slugger factory, but right now, I could care less," she told him.

"I can't say I blame you," he replied, reaching over and taking her hand. "All I'm worried about are you and the kids."

"You think Mia misses us?" she asked, looking down at their joined hands.

"I'm _sure_ she misses us," he answered, squeezing her hand. "Probably you more than me."

"You think she's still awake?" she wondered.

"Maybe, it's only an hour later there, so she may still be awake," he told her.

"I'll just wait until tomorrow," Lulu sighed, messing with her phone in her free hand. "I need to make hotel reservations."

By the time they arrived at the hotel, Lulu had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Dante really didn't want to wake her because she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. He was going to check-in before waking her up to go to the room, but she woke up as they came to a stop.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't want to wake you yet."

"It's okay," she replied, stretching out in her seat.

"Hopefully you'll be able to sleep some tonight," he told her as he turned the car off.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked, opening her door before getting out of the car.

Dante followed suit, "About an hour," he told her as she pulled her suitcase from the back seat. "Let me get that."

"I got it," she assured him.

"Lu, really…if Ma knew I even let you take that out of the car, she would kill me," he replied, trying to take the suitcase from her.

"Well, it's a good thing she's not here then," Lulu smiled as she side-stepped Dante, pulling her suitcase with her.

"Fine," he sighed, leaning into the car to grab his duffel bag from the backseat, shutting the door a little harder than he had planned.

"Babe, I'm sorry," she grabbed his wrist. "I was just teasing, but I'm used to getting my own bags…you can take it if you want."

"Let's just go inside," he replied, starting toward the elevators that would take them out of the parking garage and into the hotel. "I'm tired."

"You're also cranky," she pointed out, she knew that they were both at their wits end. "As am I, I think we both just need to try to get some sleep so we'll stop snapping at each other."

Dante had laid in bed for over an hour and had finally drifted off to sleep when he felt the warmth of Lulu's body leave his side, waking him up.

"What are you doing?" he asked, seeing the light from her cell phone as she went through her suitcase.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," she whispered. "I'm trying to find my medicine that helps me sleep."

"Did you bring it with you or do I need to run to CVS? I saw one right around the corner when we came in," he said, sitting up in bed.

She looked at him, even though she could barely see him in the dark, "You'd really do that for me?" she asked.

"I'm cranky, not mad at you, remember?" he countered as he started to get out of bed. "Of course I would."

"No, stay in bed, I found them," she said, pulling the bottle out of her makeup bag as she went into the bathroom and opened a bottle of water. "Do you need one?"

"No, I'll be able to sleep a little better knowing that you're sleeping," he replied.

"Hopefully I'll get some sleep," she told him, turning out the bathroom light and coming back to sit on the edge of the bed. "The last time I took one I didn't sleep at all…that was when you were missing."

"Hey…" he pulled her closer and kissed her shoulder. "I want you to try to put all of the negative thoughts out of your head, so you can calm down and get some rest."

"I'll try," she sighed as they lay back down, she snuggled into him.

Luckily, they were both able to get a little rest before having breakfast and getting their stuff together.

"I'm going to call Mia before we leave," Lulu said, sitting down on the bed, crossing her legs underneath her.

Dante sat down next to her as Lulu turned the speaker phone on.

"Hi honey, any news?" Olivia said when she answered the phone.

"Not yet, we have a little time before we have to be there. Dante's here too, by the way," she answered.

"Hi Dante, you've been taking care of Lulu, I hope," Olivia said to her son, when he had spoke with her the day before, he had told her that Lulu wasn't feeling great.

"Yeah Ma, we've been taking care of each other," Dante answered.

"Good, I'm glad you were able to put your differences aside for your kids," Olivia replied.

"We were really missing Mia last night and were hoping to get to talk to her this morning," Lulu said.

"Is she awake yet?" Dante added.

"Yeah, I was about to give her a bath, actually," Olivia replied, sitting down in the armchair in the living room. "Let me turn the speakerphone on."

They heard a click, followed by Mia's babbling and the sound of her banging a toy against the coffee table.

"Mia, come here, Daddy and Mama are on the phone," Olivia said, waving the phone in front of Mia, but Mia stood, holding onto the coffee table as she stared at Olivia. "Talk to her, she's looking at me like I'm crazy."

"Mia," Lulu said.

Mia let go of the coffee table and dropped to the floor before crawling over to Olivia.

"Tell Mama and Daddy 'hi,'" Olivia encouraged as the baby pulled up on the chair and reached for the phone.

"Hi Mia," Dante said.

"We miss you, pretty girl," Lulu added. "I can't wait to get home and cuddle with you."

"Mamama," Mia babbled into the phone.

Lulu gave Dante a sad look with her bottom lip stuck out, "We'll be home soon, princess," he told his daughter.

"She's looking around for you guys," Olivia told them.

Dante looked up again to see Lulu fighting back tears again. Lulu knew it would upset Mia if she heard her crying, so she handed the phone to Dante and walked out onto the balcony.

"We have to go Mia, we miss you, but I know Nonna and Grandma Laura are spoiling you rotten," Dante said. "We'll call you back later, Ma, once we get on the road."

"Okay, we're going to run to the grocery store later, but I'll have my phone with me," Olivia replied

"Talk to you later, love you, Ma," he said before ending the call.

Dante sighed as he looked out the window to where Lulu was standing on the balcony. He knew exactly how she felt. Even though his feelings weren't as intense as hers, all he really wanted to do was break down and cry. But he would have to leave that up to Lulu. He would have to let her cry and comfort her when she did. Lulu wasn't able to be the strong parent at the moment, so he had to be strong enough for himself and her and their kids.

He stood up and walked out onto the balcony, Lulu looked over her shoulder as she heard the door open. He reached out to take her hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think that was going to upset me like it did," she admitted, wiping away the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize," he told her. "You're under a lot of stress, we both are."

The stood quietly before Lulu spoke again. "We should probably get going, I have a feeling this is going to be another long day," she said.

"Probably so," he replied, opening the door into the hotel room.

They made it to the Grassy Knoll in Dealey Plaza a few moments after 10. Immediately, Dante's phone rang.

"Yeah?" Dante answered, putting the phone on speaker.

"I'm going to say this once and once only," the man said. "The town shares a name with the head coach of Arkansas baseball, so I'm told. It's where we're close to being sold, I will call you back at 8 tonight so you can see the story unfold."

The phone disconnected and they began walking quickly back to the car. This time Dante was calling Spinelli before Lulu even had the chance.

"'Tis I, The Jackal," Spinelli answered.

"Spinelli, it's Dante, I need you to find out the head coach of Arkansas' baseball team," Dante told him.

"I can do that," Spinelli replied. "The University of Arkansas?"

"I guess…he just said Arkansas baseball," Dante explained.

"Dave Van Horn is the head coach," Spinelli answered.

"Damn, you're fast," Dante said. "Now, I need a town that has the same name as him."

"Are you any closer to finding your and Fair Lulu's offspring?" Spinelli asked as he continued to look on his computer.

"I hope so, I don't have much patience left for this man," Dante admitted.

"Could it be Van Horn, Texas?" Spinelli asked. "That's a town close to the border in West Texas."

"How long would it take us to get there?" Dante countered.

"Over seven hours," Spinelli answered.

"That would probably be it then," Dante confirmed. "Thanks Spinelli."

"Good luck," Spinelli replied before they hung up.

Once they were on the road, Lulu started researching the town on her phone.

"What do you think he meant by they're close to being sold?" she wondered.

"Maybe they're getting their payoff and we can get the kids back," Dante suggested.

"This says Van Horn is close to Juarez, Mexico," Lulu told him, she noticed the look on his face and knew he wasn't telling her something. "What is it?"

"Juarez is known for human trafficking," he admitted.

Lulu's breathing increased. "No…no, they can't do that," she shook her head. "Please drive faster."

He did as she asked and they managed to cut an hour off their driving time. They stepped into their hotel room with almost 4 hours to spare before the man called them back, they had no way of contacting him.

Lulu laid down on the bed, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep, but hoping for some rest. Dante laid down on his side next to her and took her hand in his. She rolled over to face him. They stared at each other for a moment before Lulu broke the silence.

"Do you think they're here?" Lulu wondered, looking him in the eyes.

"I think we're getting close, they could be here," Dante answered, brushing hair behind her ear with his free hand. "What do you think?"

"I don't know," she whispered as she absentmindedly rubbed circles on his hand with her thumb. "I hear of moms who can like sense that their child is near them or that they're alive, but I don't have that feeling. Is that a bad thing?"

"No, I'm sure it's not a bad thing, I guess some people just have that ability," he said.

Dante watched her as she closed her eyes, hoping she was going to sleep, but after a few minutes of lying there, she looked at him and sighed.

"Can we go driving around or something?" She wondered. "I feel like I'm going crazy just waiting."

"We've been driving for the last two and a half days, you sure you don't want to just hang out here for awhile?" He asked, hoping she would agree.

"I can go by myself if you want to stay here, I don't mind," she offered.

"No, I'm not letting you leave alone," he told her. "You want to go get something to eat?"

"I'm not really hungry, maybe we could drive around for awhile, and then go eat before we come back here," she said, sitting up on the bed. "Please Dante, I can't just sit here."

"Do you want to drive?" he asked her, pulling the keys out of his pocket and holding them out to her.

"Yeah," she smiled, knowing it would help get her mind off of things a little.

When Lulu got to the south side of town by the interstate, Dante half expected her to gun it and take off, but she slowed down and pulled into the truck stop.

"What are we doing?" he asked

"The car is almost on empty," she pointed out, pulling up to one of the gas pumps.

"I'll get it," he said when she started out of the car.

"Okay, here's the card, I'm going to go in and get a bottle of water, do you want anything?" she asked, handing him a credit card for the gas.

"Yeah, just get me a bottle of water too," he replied as they both got out of the vehicle.

Lulu went in and bought the bottles of water, but a rack of postcards caught her eye on the way out. She walked over to the rack and began looking at them, smiling at some of the cheesy sayings. Tanner and Lexi always liked sending postcards to Laura when they went somewhere. She was going to get a few, but was afraid it might jinx them.

As she was spinning the rack around, she glanced up, catching a glimpse of a woman with dark auburn hair. Lulu inconspicuously watched her for a moment. She looked familiar, but something was different about her. The woman then turned to walk out; Lulu stepped behind the rack of post cards, only glancing at her as she reached the door. She realized who the woman was, her hair was shorter, but it was Camilla.

Luckily Camilla had walked the opposite way from where the car was. Lulu walked quickly to the car, careful not to draw attention to herself. Dante was already in the passenger's seat, so she went over and opened his door.

"Get out and get in the driver's seat," she demanded.

"What? Why? I thought you wanted to drive," he said, taking off his seat belt.

Lulu glanced up and saw Camilla getting in the driver's side of a tan SUV.

Dante looked over to where Lulu was looking, "What's going on?" he asked, getting out of the car.

"Get in and I'll explain," she said, getting in the passenger's seat as Dante hurried around the car to get in the driver's side, they both put their seatbelts on.

"What happened in there?" he questioned.

"See that tan SUV," she pointed out the SUV that was pulling out of the parking lot headed south out of town. "You need to follow it, it's Camilla."

"WHAT?" he exclaimed, throwing the car into drive. "Did she see you?"

"I don't think so, if she did, she didn't let on," Lulu replied as Dante practically peeled out of the parking lot. "Don't get right behind her, we don't want to scare her off."

"Right," he said, slowing down a little.

"So you think she has something to do with all this?" Lulu questioned as Dante focused on the SUV.

"I'm sure she does," he confirmed her thoughts. "I don't think she's working alone though, she couldn't come up with a scheme like this."

They followed Camilla out of town on the highway a few miles before she turned off onto a dirt road. The dust was rolling as she began down the road, so she didn't see Dante and Lulu turn behind her. They were able to stay far enough back so she didn't see them, but could keep track of her because of the dust being kicked up from the road.

They made two more turns before turning down what looked to be a private drive, as there was a mailbox at the end of it. The house—they assumed—was just over the small hill ahead of them.

"What are we going to do?" Lulu asked as he sat at the bottom of the driveway for a few minutes.

Dante hoped there was no other way out, except on foot, so they could trap them.

"I'll go in, take them by surprise, do what I need to do and be done with it," Dante replied.

"I'm not letting you go in there by yourself, Dante," she told him. "Do you have your gun?"

"It's under your seat," he answered, leaning over to pull it out from under the seat. "It's too dangerous for you to go in there with me."

"I don't care, if my kids are in there, I'm going," she insisted.

Knowing she wouldn't back down, he relented, "Fine, but I want you to stay behind me," he said, pulling up to an old rundown one-story farmhouse.

When they got out of the car, they could hear yelling inside the house.

"How could you be so stupid, Camilla?" a man's voice shouted as Dante and Lulu snuck up on the front porch. "You were supposed to make as few stops as possible

"That's him," Dante whispered, he could tell by the voice.

"Well, I think I lost them awhile back, just let me get Bridger, so you can take the other two brats and get your payoff," Camilla said.

Lulu's eyes widened, Dante put his index finger to his mouth to remind her they had to be quiet.

"I don't think so, Camilla, this is the 4th time you've almost put this plan in jeopardy," he said. "And I can assure you, it's the last."

Lulu looked at Dante with a confused expression on her face. That's when they heard it. A gun shot, followed by screams and ending with a loud thud.

* * *

_Let me know what you thought? Too much of just Dante and Lulu or are you glad they got some things out of the way? Who thought Camilla was the one who kidnapped the kids? However, she isn't the one in charge of the whole operation, we'll find that out in the next chapter._


	26. Survival

_So this chapter is a little short, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting because it may be awhile before I got what would have been the full chapter out._

**Chapter 26 – Survival**

"On the count of three, I'm going to kick in the door, just stay behind me," he said, she nodded, but had a terrified look on her face. "I love you."

Lulu gulped, "I love you too," she whispered.

"One…two…three," Dante kicked in the door and drew his gun.

Immediately, two men had their weapons drawn on Dante and Lulu and began shooting. He hit one of them, causing the man to go down immediately.

"Now are we going to keep playing this game or are you going to give up?" Dante asked.

"No, you're going to pay for what you did to my father," he said, aiming his gun at Dante.

"Who is your father?" Dante wondered.

"Santiago Hernandez, you took him away from us," the man said.

"I sent him to prison for human trafficking, I remember, one of my biggest cases," Dante taunted. "He's right where he should be."

"Shut up!" the man yelled. "If it wasn't for you, we would still have our father."

"No, if your father hadn't been doing something illegal, he would still be with you instead of in prison," Dante replied. "I guess some people can't learn from others' mistakes, because you wouldn't be trying to sell our children into a human trafficking ring."

"Yeah and we could've done it too if it hadn't been for that idiot bitch," he said, motioning toward where Camilla's body lay on the floor.

"She was really going to let you sell her son—_my son_—into a life as a slave?" Dante questioned.

"No, she was going to take him and we were going to sell the other two," the man told him. "We wanted to make it look like he was sold too so she could disappear with him."

"Slowly place your gun on the floor," Dante demanded, the man didn't listen. "Put it down or I'm going to shoot you."

The man put the gun on the floor, "Now kick it to me."

The man did as he was told again, "Can I at least check on him?" he asked about his brother.

"Lulu, get his gun," Dante told her as he picked up the gun that was just kicked to him.

Lulu hesitantly stepped walked over to the man on the floor, he didn't look like he was breathing, but she couldn't be sure, she had seen her fair share of gunshot wounds, so who knows.

She reached down and the man lunged for her, but Dante fired his gun, shooting the man before he could reach Lulu.

Her breathing increased as the gunshot had scared her. The man was wounded, but still conscious, now in immense pain.

"You have one chance, where are our kids?" Dante questioned, pointing the gun at him.

"U-upstairs, first door on the right if you use the stairs in the kitchen," he said.

"Is there a backdoor?" Dante asked

"Yeah, it's in the kitchen too," the man said weakly.

"Baby, I want you to go upstairs and get the kids, then take them out through the backdoor and get in the car with them and lock the doors, I don't want them to see this," Dante said, Lulu tried to hand him the gun, but he pushed it back to her. "Take it, if something happens and you need to use it, shoot first and ask questions later."

She couldn't speak, so she just nodded, unsure if she would actually be able to do what he asked.

She slowly ascended the stairs, holding onto the gun, hoping she wouldn't have to shoot it, but prepared if the need arose. She came to the first door on the right, only to find it locked from the outside, she unlocked it and carefully opened the door only to find three filthy kids who had cuts and bruises on them, sitting together on a mattress on the floor. She lowered her gun and began to cry when none of the kids looked up at her.

"My babies," she whispered, causing their little heading to look up.

"Mama?" Lexi was the first one to speak, her voice sounded almost as if she didn't believe Lulu was really standing there. "I thought you were one of those mean guys."

Lulu fell to her knees as the three children ran toward her, almost knocking her backward as they practically tackled her. They smelled like they hadn't showered in weeks, but she didn't care, they were alive and in her arms. She could hear all three of them begin to cry.

"It's okay," she said, wrapping her arms around the three of them. "Mama's here and everything's going to be okay, I know you're scared, but we're going home soon and we'll get through this."

She sat there savoring the moment, letting her own silent tears fall as she held her children in her arms, thankful they were alive and appeared to be okay. None of them moved for almost five minutes as she allowed the emotions to overwhelm all of them.

"Mama, who was shooting?" Tanner finally asked, still not moving from her embrace.

"Don't worry about it, baby," Lulu told him. "Everything is taken care of."

Lexi was in the middle of the two boys and Lulu attempted to comb her fingers through her hair, but it was all knotted up, "Ow." Lexi told her, standing up.

"I'm sorry," Lulu replied, loosening her grip on the boys, as well so they could stand up. Then she got a really good look at the bruise in the shape of a handprint on her daughter's arm. "Baby, what happened?"

"That man grabbed me to make me get in the car," Lexi said.

She looked at Bridger and Tanner to see their cuts and bruises, "Is that how you got these?" she asked, lightly stroking the scabs on their faces.

"Yeah," they both answered.

"But they didn't hurt you otherwise did they?" Lulu asked, afraid of what they might say.

"No," Tanner shook his head.

She pulled all three of them back into her embrace, this time she began to cry more audibly, "What's wrong, Mama?" Lexi asked.

"I'm just so happy the three of you are okay, we thought we were never going to get you back," Lulu admitted.

"They tried to tell us you weren't looking for us," Tanner said.

She released them again and cupped Tanner's face in his hands. "We would never give up looking for you,"

Lulu noticed Bridger hadn't said much since she had entered the room, "What is it, Bridge?" she asked him.

"Where's my daddy?" he wondered, staring at his hands.

"He's downstairs, you'll get to see him in a few minutes," Lulu assured him.

"Lulu…" he began. "I'm hungry, can we go eat?"

Lulu let out a laugh. "Of course, sweetie, we can eat wherever you want," she told him. "Do you guys know if there is anyone else in the house?"

"No, it was just the two men, I think," Lexi told her.

"Why do you have a gun?" Bridger wondered.

"In case someone else was in the house and tried to keep you three from me," Lulu told him before standing up. "We're going to go downstairs and go out the backdoor, okay?"

The three nodded in agreement.

Once they were downstairs, Lulu stopped them and told them to stand by the refrigerator and not to move.

Dante had checked for a pulse on Camilla, as well as on the first guy he shot, Alonzo Hernandez, but both were dead. The second man, Emilio, who was running this whole plan, was in a world of pain, but Dante was ready for him to suffer.

As he was handcuffing the man to a support beam in the living room, Lulu walked back in.

"What are you doing?" he panicked, hoping the kids weren't coming in behind her.

"This," she said, walking over to the man, who was sitting on the floor and connected her knee to his face, feeling his nose crack as she did so. "You worthless son of a bitch!"

"Whoa, what was that for?" Dante wondered, shocked at her outburst, but not stopping her as she yelled at the man and kneed him a second time.

"For laying a hand on our kids," she told him. "The boys both have cuts on their faces and Lexi has a handprint on her arm from where this bastard grabbed her."

Dante kicked the man in the stomach near the bullet hole wound, "It's not so fun when you're helpless, is it?" Dante asked.

"No," the man said breathlessly and obviously in pain.

"I'm going to take the kids to the car before they come in here and see what's going on," Lulu told Dante as she started to walk out.

"A-are they okay?" He asked, grabbing her hand to stop her.

"They will be," she gave him a weak, but assuring smile.

"Would you be okay with me calling Sonny to have him send his jet?" He wondered. "I really don't think it's the best idea to fly commercially with them right now and I know they won't want to make the drive all the way home."

"We can take the Crimson jet," she offered.

"Well, I can't just leave them here," Dante said about the two lifeless bodies and the injured man in the room.

"So you want to let Sonny take care of it?" Lulu asked.

"At this point, I don't care what happens to them, but we can't just leave them here for someone else to find," Dante explained. "And as much as I hate Sonny's line of work, he's the only one who can get rid of the bodies without someone finding out."

"Okay, should I call them?" Lulu wondered.

"No, I'll call, you take the kids to the car and I'll be there in a minute," he answered.

"Okay, I'll call Mom and Olivia to let them know what's going on," Lulu replied.

She walked into the kitchen to see the kids still standing where she had left them.

"Come on," she said, opening the backdoor.

"Are we going home?" Bridger questioned.

"We will be soon, buddy," she told him.

She got the kids situated in the backseat, then got in the front seat and locked the doors as she was told before making her phone calls to briefly explain what had happened.

Almost 10 minutes had passed before Dante finally emerged from the house.

"Dad!" Bridger exclaimed, unlocking his door and barreling out of the backseat with Tanner and Lexi not far behind him.

The three 8-year-olds went running for an unprepared Dante, knocking him to the ground when they threw their arms around him.

As Lulu got out of the car, Dante allowed the kids to dog-pile on top of him. Then she heard it…their laughter, it was the most beautiful sound in the world. She chewed on her bottom lip and closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry anymore, but it wasn't working.

"We missed you guys," Dante told the kids, hugging them tightly.

"We missed you too," Lexi replied.

"We thought you were never going to find us," Bridger added.

"But we did," Dante pointed out, standing back up. "And now it's time to go home."

"Did you get a hold of Sonny?" Lulu asked as they walked to the car.

"Yeah, he's going to send Max and Milo, they'll get things taken care of here and return the rental car, and then take a commercial flight home so we can go ahead and get the kids home," he explained.

"Put your seatbelts on guys," Lulu told the kids as she got in the passenger's seat. "Do you want to McDonald's for dinner?"

"Yeah," the three exclaimed.

"You never let them have McDonald's," Dante pointed out.

"I promised Bridger they could have whatever they wanted to eat, but I don't think there is much to eat here," she told him. "Besides, they've been through a lot, I think it's a good reason to indulge."

"I agree," Dante said, taking her hand as he turned around in the driveway.

"There's no chance that guy can get away?" Lulu asked.

"No, the gunshot wound is causing him quite a bit of pain and I'm pretty sure his nose is in a million pieces," he said.

"He deserved much worse," Lulu muttered.

"No argument there," he said. "I'm just saying, he's probably in too much pain to even think about moving, and if he isn't, he will have to pull that beam down, which will probably make the entire house come crashing down due to the condition it's in."

"Do you think the kids saw her?" she asked quietly.

"No, Emilio said she had just gotten into town when we saw her," Dante replied.

"Are you okay with leaving her there?" Lulu wondered, lightly running her hand over his right shoulder.

"After what she tried to do, I would be," he said.

"But?"

"But, I can't do that to her parents, and the next time he asks about her, I can't tell him that I left her body to rot in the desert," he explained. "Max and Milo are going to fabricate evidence to make it look like she was killed in a drug deal gone wrong in New York City."

"Where do we have to meet them?" Lulu asked.

"There's a county airport just northeast of town, we'll meet them there in about three-and-a-half hours," Dante explained. "I figured we could go back to the hotel, let the kids eat and shower while we wait."

When they got back to the hotel, they went in the side door so they didn't draw attention to themselves.

Lulu had sat them at the small table so they could eat their dinner. She noticed the tired looks on their faces as they slowly ate the food that they normally couldn't eat fast enough.

"Tanner, if you're full, you don't have to keep eating, buddy," Dante said, noticing that he looked as if he had eaten too much.

"You want to go take a shower?" Lulu added.

"Yeah," he answered. "Do you have clean clothes I can wear?"

Dante and Lulu looked at each other, realizing they didn't have anything for them to change into after they showered.

"You know what? I think there last time we used this suitcase, I put yours and Lexi's clothes in it," Lulu remembered, going over to her suitcase and opening one of the side pockets, pulling out two pairs of Tanner's underwear and two pairs of Lexi's, then looked at Dante. "Do you have any t-shirts they can wear home?"

"They probably aren't all clean," he answered.

"That's okay, it's better than what they have on," she reminded him.

After the kids showered, Lulu decided to take a quick shower and change into some sweatpants for the plane ride home. By the time she got out of the shower, the kids were all asleep in the king-size bed as Dante sat at the table, watching out the window.

"Penny for your thoughts," she said to him, crossing the room and sitting on his lap.

"I was just thinking about how unexpected this day turned out," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, I think I'll be better when we're home and I know all the kids are safe in their beds," she replied.

"Me too," he replied as his arms around her waist. "You think we should take them to GH when we get home?"

"Let's wait until tomorrow; it will be late when we get home and I don't want to overwhelm them," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "You know, the last time we were in a hotel room with our kids, we were sneaking kisses."

"That seems like forever ago," Dante commented as they both continued to watch the cars go down the interstate. "We haven't even been together a year and we've been through more than most couples go through in a lifetime."

"And we survived it," Lulu added, pressing her forehead to his as they shared a quick kiss.

After carrying their bags to the car, Dante carried Lexi and Bridger as Lulu carried Tanner to the car, not bothering to fully wake them up. When they arrived at the airport, Max and Milo stepped off the jet and helped them get their things and the kids on the plane. Lulu excused herself as Dante stayed back to finalize plans with Max and Milo before boarding the jet as well.

Lulu already had the kids in seatbelts and ready for takeoff. He sat down next to Lulu, who had a sleeping Lexi curled up on the other side of her.

"I'm never taking them to the damn park again," Dante told her as he buckled his seatbelt.

"Dante…" she said sadly, when he didn't look at her, she placed her hand lovingly on his cheek to make him look at her. "You can't help that some idiot decided to knock you out and take our kids, it wasn't your fault."

"But that doesn't make it feel like it's not," he told her, feeling the plane accelerating. "The moment they needed a dad the most, I couldn't help them."

"Being a dad isn't just about being there when they need you the most, it's about being there when they don't," she replied. "And I'm sure when they remember this whole nightmare, they aren't going to remember the day you weren't able to help them in the park, but I think they are going to remember when you saved the day by rescuing them from their kidnappers."

"I wouldn't mind if they didn't remember any of it," he admitted, putting an arm around her.

"I wouldn't either," she agreed as she snuggled closer into him, pulling Lexi with her.

"Do you think they would ever _want_ me to be their dad?" he asked her.

"Are you kidding me?" she scrunched her eyebrows together. "I think they would love to have you as their dad."

"Would you want me to be their dad?" he wondered.

"Two conditions…one, can you forgive me?" she countered.

"For what?"

"For blaming all of this on you and your connection for Sonny and for all the things I said to you that night," she muttered.

"Well, I'm still the reason they came after the kids," Dante reminded her.

"But what are you supposed to do, just start letting all of the criminals run free so they won't be out to get you?" she told him. "We're better off dealing with this situation."

"True," he agreed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, trying to make his headache go away.

"So can you forgive me?" she asked again.

He looked at her before placing his lips on hers, kissing her sweetly. "Of course I can forgive you," he said. "What's the other condition?"

"If Tanner and Lexi get a dad, wouldn't it only be fair that Bridger and Mia get a mom?" she grinned.

"I would think so," he agreed, also smiling. "Don't you think we should talk to the kids about it first?"

"We should," she replied. "But I can almost guarantee they're going to say yes."

* * *

_So I cut another chapter in two so I could get an update to you sooner. I hope you don't mind. What did you think about Dante calling in Sonny to help him out? What about the reunions? Or Dante and Lulu's little chat?_


	27. Offers and Apologies

_Hope all is well. Sorry it has taken me so long to get this chapter out, but after this chapter, there are only two chapters left, and the more I write on it, the sooner it's over, so I've been putting it off. Anyway, this chapter is around 20 pages long in Word, so hopefully you'll enjoy it. This chapter is NC-17 at the end, so fair warning._

**Chapter 27 – Offers and Apologies**

Before Lulu, Lexi and Bridger could even step foot on the front porch, Olivia and Laura were coming out of the front door, enveloping all of them with hugs and kisses.

"Where are Dante and Tanner?" Olivia wondered.

"Tanner didn't sleep well on the plane, he kept having nightmares, but he fell asleep on the way home from the airport, so Dante's trying to talk him into waking up and getting out of the car," Lulu explained

"I'm so glad you're all okay," Laura said, pulling Lexi and Bridger into a hug.

"Where's Mia?" Lulu asked.

"She's asleep in the downstairs guest bedroom, I tried to keep her up so she could see all of you, but she was so sleepy, she could barely keep her eyes open," Olivia said.

"I'm going to peek in on her," Lulu replied as she started in the house.

"Lu," Dante said, still standing out by the truck, when Lulu turned around, he waved her over.

"Stay here with Nonna and Grandma," She told Lexi and Bridger as she started off the porch. "What's wrong?"

"He doesn't want to get out of the car," Dante said as Lulu approached the vehicle.

"Why don't you want to get out of the car?" Lulu asked her son.

Tanner looked at his hands in his lap.

"We can't help if you don't tell us what's wrong, buddy," Dante told him.

They stood there in silence a few moments before Tanner finally spoke. "What if those guys come back and get us?"

"Baby, they're not coming back to get you," Lulu said.

"How do you know?" he questioned sadly.

"Because your mom and I are going to do everything we can to protect you guys," Dante told him.

"Those guys were in a lot of trouble and they had to face the consequences for what they did," Lulu added.

"Like time out?" he asked.

"Something like that, yeah," Dante said, obviously uncomfortable talking about it.

"But they're in a place where they can never hurt any of you anymore," she assured him, running her hand through his hair.

"Look, Nonna and Grandma are waiting to see you, Mia's inside, I'm sure she misses you like crazy…" Dante said, tilting Tanner's chin to make him look at him when he noticed the hesitance in his body language. "I'm not going to let anyone get to you ever again, Tanner. That's a promise."

"Okay," he said quietly.

Dante held his arms out to Tanner, helping him out of the truck. Tanner took off toward the porch as Dante shut the truck door.

"You okay?" Lulu asked Dante, taking his hand.

"Yeah, it's just a little hard to talk about what happened because I didn't handle the situation in Texas the way I was trained," he answered.

"But Dante, you were protecting your family, if you would have involved the police after all that happened, we would still be in Texas and our kids would be having to deal with so much more than what they've already endured," Lulu said. "Those men and Camilla deserved what they got, I know you loved her and I understand that you're probably upset about that too, but deep down, you hate her for doing that to you and Bridger."

"You're right, it's just something I'm going to have to process," he said. "But every time I look into your eyes or I see that our children are safe with us, I know I made the best decision I could for them and for us."

She snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. "You are an amazing man and I don't want you to let anyone to ever convince you otherwise," she told him. "I love you so much Dante."

"I love you too," he replied, kissing her forehead before they turned to go in the house with their family.

After Laura left, Dante and Lulu got the kids in bed, having to assure them the windows were secure and there was no one hiding under their beds or in the closets. All three of them so exhausted they couldn't see straight and soon sleep took victory over fear.

Dante took a shower as Olivia brought Mia up to Lulu before going to bed. When he got out of the shower, he expected to find Lulu and Mia already in bed asleep, but the bed was empty.

He walked down the hallway to find Lulu sitting on the floor in Lexi's doorway, holding a sleeping Mia.

"What are you doing?" He asked her, causing her to jump a little. "Sorry."

"It's okay," she said, twisting her body to look up at him. "I was just sitting here watching our girls sleep."

"Were you planning on standing guard all night?" Dante questioned. "Because I can join you."

She let out a quiet laugh. "That's okay," she replied. "Having them home is almost too good to be true, so I was just making sure I wasn't dreaming."

"I hope you're not dreaming, because that would mean I'm dreaming too," Dante said.

"I hope this whole ordeal doesn't scar them for life, and it's something they can eventually leave in the past," she told him, watching Lexi sleep.

"I do too," he agreed, they fell into a comfortable silence, watching Lexi and Mia sleep for a few minutes before he spoke again. "So do you plan on coming to bed anytime soon or…"

"Yeah," she said as she held Mia with one arm and started to push herself up off the floor with the other arm. "I just want to check on the boys first."

When she got to her feet, she began to waver, Dante noticed this and slipped an arm around her waist, quickly pulling her to him so she didn't fall or drop Mia.

"Sorry," she said, her eyelids fluttering a little as she grasped his arm.

"Nothing to apologize for," he replied. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just got a little lightheaded," she answered.

"Looks like you'll be going to the doctor tomorrow too," Dante told her, loosening his grip on her when he saw she was a little more stable.

She looked at him like he was crazy. "No, I'm fine," she tried to convince him.

"You're not fine," he said. "And we made a deal…if it happened again, you would see a doctor. What if there is something really wrong with you?"

"Fine," she groaned.

"If I let you go, you're not going to pass out are you?" He asked cautiously.

"No, I'm okay now," she assured him.

They went in to check on the boys, then put Mia in the portable crib in the spare bedroom before going to bed. Lulu was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

The next morning, Lulu woke up to find Bridger and Lexi both in bed with her, but Dante was nowhere to be found. She walked into the spare bedroom to check on Mia, only to find Dante and Tanner asleep in the bed in that room.

Later that morning, Maya was able to take some time out of her day to see Lulu and the kids in her office. They were still afraid of overwhelming the kids with having too many people around.

Lulu had hoped Dante would go to work so she wouldn't have to worry Maya by the problems she had been having. However, after all three kids woke up throughout the night and ended up in bed with Dante and Lulu, he thought it would be best if he stayed home another day. When they were through at the hospital, they stopped by Kelly's for takeout, then went back to Lulu's.

"The kids are all a little dehydrated, but fine otherwise, and Lulu is very dehydrated, Maya wanted to admit her, but Lulu talked her out of it," Dante explained to Olivia as they sat at the kitchen table eating lunch while the kids sat at the bar.

"I don't blame you for not wanting to stay," Olivia told Lulu.

"See!" Lulu said to Dante. "They drew blood and they're running all kinds of tests to see if there is something else wrong."

"Maybe you're pregnant," Olivia whispered hopefully with a grin on her face.

Lulu glanced to Dante, hesitant to say anything, but decided to anyway. "Yeah, we had thought that too, but I took two home tests while we were gone and both of them were negative," Lulu explained.

"Maybe it was just too early to detect," Olivia said with a glimmer of hope in her voice.

"It could be," Dante agreed.

The possibility was something Lulu had to take into consideration. She could still be pregnant, all the signs were there.

"Mom, when do we get to go trick-or-treating?" Tanner asked.

Lulu's eyes widened as they met Dante's. The kids had been taken on Halloween.

"I think that's already passed, buddy," Dante said sadly. "But we can go to the store and get as much candy as you want."

"That's not the same," Bridger pointed out sadly.

"We can go trick-or-treating tonight," Lulu announced.

"We can?" They kids, Dante and Olivia all asked in unison.

"I'll figure it out," she muttered to Dante and Olivia before turning to the kids. "Yeah, it may not be what you're used to, but at least you'll get to go…if you feel like going."

"Yeah!" Tanner, Lexi and Bridger all exclaimed.

"Mama, I'm done," Lexi said.

"Okay, whoever is finished with their lunch can go play," Lulu told them.

All three of the kids jumped out of their seats and took off toward the living room.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Dante told her.

"I do," she assured him. "Olivia you're not planning on leaving us anytime soon are you?"

"I was going to talk to you two about that actually," she said. "I mentioned something to Laura about wanting to be closer to all of you; she talked to your cousin Carly to see if she had any openings at her hotel, and Carly wants to meet with me tomorrow."

"Are you serious?" Dante asked happily.

"Olivia, that's great!" Lulu said. "We would love for you to live close by."

"I was also going to ask if you would mind that I stayed here awhile longer until I can find an apartment and get everything else in order," Olivia added.

"Not at all," Lulu smiled. "You are more than welcome to stay here as long as you need."

"What do you two have planned today?" Olivia asked.

"I probably need to go get the house straightened up so the kids and I can go back home," Dante said.

"You can't just stay here?" Lulu asked, sticking out bottom lip.

"As much as I would love to, I think it would be better for Bridger to go back into his normal routine instead of letting him get used to have a constant sleepover with Tanner," Dante said.

"You're right, and I'm sure he's probably ready to sleep in his own bed too," Lulu added.

"If we're going to take the kids on an impromptu trick-or-treating run tonight, I need to get the ball rolling so we will actually have houses to take them to," Lulu said, then looked at Mia. "Did you take her trick-or-treating?"

"No, since you had all that candy to hand out, I put her in her owl costume and we handed out candy," Olivia explained.

Lulu took Mia from her highchair. "I bet you were the cutest little owl in town," she cooed at the baby, tickling her sides, causing her to giggle.

"She got plenty of compliments, that's for sure," Olivia said. "So do you need me to stay here with the kids?"

"If you don't mind keeping them, but I think my mom wanted to spend a little more time with them than she did last night, so I will see if she wants to come over and you can both get some babysitting time in," Lulu replied.

"Sounds perfect," Olivia smiled.

After Laura arrived, Lulu left to get her plan for the evening set in motion, while Dante planned on going by the station to get caught up on what had happened since he left town, then he planned on going to his house.

Lulu had bought a different bag of candy for every house she planned on taking the kids to. She knew her entire family and some of her friends were anxious to see the kids, so this was easier than having them all over at the house at once. She took the bags of candy by their houses and made sure they were going to be home later to hand out the candy to the kids.

She pulled up to her last stop, Sonny's house. One of the guards let her in as Sonny got up from his desk to hug her.

"I'm so sorry," she said, embracing him.

"For what?" He asked, stepping back.

Lulu looked at him in disbelief. "For yelling at you, blaming the kidnapping on you," she replied.

"Don't worry about it, you feared for your children's lives, you needed someone to blame, I'm an easy target," he said. "I actually thought it could have been someone retaliating against me at first too, but after I checked into it, I realized it wasn't."

"I shouldn't have placed the blame on you before I found out who it was," she told him.

"The important thing is that your kids are home safe where they're supposed to be," he said. "Now…what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? I have to admit, after you called, I was curious as to what you had up your sleeve."

"Well, since the kids were taken on Halloween, they didn't get a chance to trick-or-treat, so I'm bringing candy to all of our family and friends for you guys to give to them when we come by tonight," Lulu explained.

"That sounds like a great idea," Sonny told her. "I bet the kids are excited."

"They are very excited, I told them it would be a bit different, but at least they get to go," she said as her phone began to ring, she looked at the screen before answering it. "Dante, hi."

"Hey, where are you?" Dante asked.

"I'm at Sonny's right now, why?" she wondered.

"Can you come by my place on your way home?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," she said.

Lulu said goodbye to Sonny before driving to Dante's. When she pulled up, she noticed Larry, Dante's landlord, pulling out of the driveway.

"What's going on?" Lulu asked as she walked in the house.

"I have to be out of here in 10 days," he replied.

"What? Why?" she questioned. "If you don't have money for the rent, Dante, let me help you."

"No, it's not that," Dante said. "Larry's bought this house for his daughter and son-in-law a few years ago, but the son-in-law joined the military and was stationed overseas, they still had three years left there, but he was injured in a non-combat accident, so he's being discharged and they'll be home in two weeks."

"Wow…that's soon," she said, looking around at everything that needed to be packed.

"But Larry said he had another house available to rent, but it was a little bit smaller," Dante added.

Lulu smiled as she looked back to Dante.

"What?" he asked as he noticed the goofy grin on her face.

"You can move in with me," she told him as she placed her arms around his neck.

"I couldn't ask that of you," he shook his head, putting his arms around her.

"Good thing I'm offering so you don't have to ask," she said, still smiling. "Come on Dante, you and the kids are there a lot as it is. And we have the space, the boys love sharing a room and the spare bedroom is perfect for a nursery for Mia, not to mention how much cheaper it would be than renting another house."

He locked his eyes with hers. "Are you sure that's what you want?" He asked. "Moving in together is a big step, this isn't something we can take lightly; we need to think it through."

"No, I know," she replied. "I've thought about it a lot lately, about the effect it would have on us and the kids…if it's not something you're ready for, I understand."

"I would love to move in with you, more than anything, but the kids are my biggest concern," he said. "Because to us it's just another step in our relationship, but to the kids it means we're all going to be together forever and we'll always been one big happy family…as much as I would love for that to happen, we can't make those guarantees."

"So you don't think we're going to work?" she asked, trying not to get defensive, but unsure of what he was saying as she took a step back and put her hands on her hips.

"That's not what I'm saying," he sighed. "It's just that I thought I was going to be with Camilla for the rest of my life, we had great jobs, a decent apartment, the perfect little boy, a baby on the way…then things just went south after that."

"But I'm not Camilla," she reminded him. "We've fought too hard to get where we are now, just to let it slip away…relationships aren't supposed to be easy, you need two people who are totally and completely committed to making it work and I think we've already established the fact that we're both in."

"Yes…I am in 100%," he said, stepping closer to her, bridging the gap between them. "I guess I'm just nervous about the whole thing."

"I am too, but things are going to work out and I think the kids will be a lot happier," Lulu assured him. "And I know I will be."

He smiled at the thought of all of them living under one roof. It would be a three-ring circus, but he knew she was right about them all being happier.

"I guess I better call Larry and let him know I already have a place to live, then," Dante replied, causing Lulu to let out a squeal before jumping into his arms.

Since a lot of their things were already at Lulu's, they packed up some more clothes and a few of the kids' belongings before heading back to the house. Lulu had called to tell Olivia and Laura her plan for the evening, so when they got home, the kids were eating an early dinner.

"There you are, we were starting to get worried about you," Laura said as they walked into the kitchen. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes and no," Dante replied, causing Olivia and Laura to look at the quizzically. "No because the kids and I have to be out of our house in ten days and yes because Lulu and I talked it over and we're going to move in here."

"Like forever?" Bridger questioned.

"Yep, forever," Lulu replied with a smile.

"Honey, that's great news!" Olivia exclaimed.

"Why do you have to be out of your house so soon?" Laura wondered.

"Because my landlord's daughter is coming home from overseas and it's her house," Dante explained in short.

The phone rang in the living room; Lulu went in to pick it up.

"Hello?" she answered. "Yes…I see…yeah, I will…I promise…okay, I will go pick up the prescription tomorrow…thanks Maya."

"Was I right?" Olivia questioned anxiously as Lulu pressed the off button on the phone.

"No," Lulu answered, turning around to realize Olivia, Dante and Laura had been standing in the doorway to the living room the whole time. "I am not pregnant…I am dehydrated and anemic, that mixed with the stress and exhaustion is enough to cause all of my symptoms."

"So what do we need to do?" Dante wondered, walking over to where she was standing.

"Well, I have to start taking iron supplements and Maya made me promise to tell you that you had to bring me in if anything else happened," Lulu said, mumbling the last part.

"Of course I will, I'm not taking any chances," he replied, kissing her forehead.

"We probably need to get the kids ready," Lulu reminded him.

"Are you sure you still feel like going out tonight?" He asked.

"Yeah, nothing has changed between five minutes ago and now, I feel fine," she assured him, he eyed her. "If I start to feel bad, I will tell you, I swear."

"You better," he said.

"I should probably get going so I can get ready for the kids to come by," Laura told them.

"Thanks for helping out today, Mom," Lulu said, hugging Laura before she left.

"I'm honored, it's so good to have all of you home," Laura smiled.

"I'm going to give Mia a bath so she'll be ready for bed when we get home tonight," Olivia said, carrying Mia toward her room.

Lulu and Dante walked back into the kitchen.

"Where are we going to sleep?" Bridger wondered.

"For now, you and Tanner will share the bunk beds in his room, Lexi keeps her room and that other room is going to be Mia's," Dante explained.

"And eventually, after Nonna leaves, you can take the room downstairs if you'd like," Lulu added.

"I like having him stay in my room," Tanner said.

"Me too," Bridger agreed.

"Then it's settled, that's where you'll stay for now," Dante said.

"Can Mia and I share a room too?" Lexi questioned

"No sweetie," Lulu laughed. "Mia still wakes up sometimes at night and I know for a fact that you will not be happy if she wakes you up too."

"So since they're moving in, does Dante get to be our dad?" Lexi asked.

"That was something else we wanted to talk to you about," Dante said. "We aren't planning on getting married _**yet**_, but we know that one day we want to get married and we want to be a family."

"So, if it's something you want, you can call Dante 'Dad' and Bridger can call me 'Mom,'" Lulu said.

"Really?" Tanner's eyes widened.

"Yeah, really," Lulu said happily.

"What about my other mom?" Bridger asked.

Lulu looked to Dante sadly. "Bridger, we've talked about your other mom…" he said.

"Sweetie, I know your mom will always have a special place in your heart and I don't want to take that place," Lulu said as she knelt down in front of where he was sitting at the table, taking his hands in hers. "But what I'm hoping is that you could find a place in your heart for me and allow me to be a mom to you…if that's not something you're ready for, I won't be upset, this is something that is completely up to you, just like it's completely up to Tanner and Lexi to call your dad, 'Dad.'"

"I want you to be my mom," Bridger smiled.

Lulu pulled him to her, picking him up and spinning him around.

"So what do you have to say, Lex?" Dante asked.

Lexi stood up in her chair and leapt into Dante's arms, "I want you to be my dad," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"What about you Tan-Man?" Dante questioned, holding an arm out to Tanner. "Do I get to be your dad too?"

"Yep," he said, putting his arms around Dante's waist as Dante put his arm around him.

Lulu stepped closer to Dante, kissing him briefly.

"I told you they would be happy," she whispered.

"Can we go put our costumes on now?" Lexi wondered.

"Yeah," Dante said, putting her down.

"Wait," Lulu stopped them as she put Bridger down. "We're going to be going to a lot of houses tonight, it's mostly family, so you're going to be safe, Nonna's going with us to help keep an eye on everyone, but if any of you want to come home early or you don't want to go in somewhere, don't be afraid to tell us."

"Yeah, because we are doing this tonight to make you happy, but we realize everything you've been though can make you feel a little overwhelmed or scared, but all you have to do is tell us and someone can come home with you or stay in the car with you," Dante added. "Okay?"

"Okay," they all replied.

"Now go get those costumes on so we can take some pictures," Lulu told them.

Later that night after making appearances at Spoon Island, Lucky and Liz's, Ethan and Maya's, Sonny's, The Quartermaines, Carly's, Sam and Jason's, and Maxie and Spinelli's, they were finally making their last stop at Laura's.

"Trick or treat!" Tanner, Lexi and Bridger exclaimed as Laura opened the door.

"Do you have any candy left for us, Grandma?" Lulu asked as the kids took off into the house.

"I might have some left, but it's only for Lexi, Tanner, Bridger and Mia," she said. "I only see Cinderella, Captain America, Green Lantern and a little owl here."

"Grandma!" Tanner giggled as he and Bridger took their masks off.

"It is us!" Bridger said, joining the giggling.

"Oh, it is you!" Laura smiled at them. "I thought there were real superheroes in my house."

"It's cold outside," Lexi said, standing by the fireplace.

"There's hot chocolate and cookies cooling in the kitchen for you," Laura told the three kids shortly before they took off running toward the kitchen. "So how did tonight go?"

"Great, except for when Ethan thought it was a good idea to hide and jump out and scare the kids when we went to his and Maya's," Lulu explained, shaking her head. "Leave it up to my brother to fail to think things through."

"Well they seem okay now," Laura said, ushering them toward the living room. "Come in and sit down."

"Yeah, it's taken them this long to get over it," Dante told her. "We've been to five houses since then, they almost didn't go in at Sonny's."

Mia sat in Lulu's lap, pulling at the hat on her head that was part of her costume. Lulu unsnapped it and took it off. "Are you getting sick of it?" she asked her, Mia let out a giggle.

"Did you get a lot of candy, Mia?" Laura asked.

"Yeah, her daddy thought it was a good idea to feed her half a bag of M&M's," Lulu told her as Mia scooted down to the floor, grasping the coffee table in front of her.

"I missed it," Olivia wondered. "When did he do that?"

"When you were talking to Carly," Lulu replied.

"That explains her sticky hands," Olivia said.

Mia reached into the bowl on the coffee table, grabbing a plastic decorative ball out of it and banging it on the table as she let out a happy shriek.

"Grandma's going to get you," Lulu laughed, poking Mia's side, causing her to giggle before she went back to what she was going, Lulu turned to Dante. "See what you did, you've created a monster."

"But she's a very cute monster," Dante pointed out. "Besides, it's her first Halloween, we get to indulge a little."

"You also get to stay up with her tonight," Lulu grinned cockily at him.

"So when are you going to start moving?" Laura asked.

"I guess I will start packing tomorrow after I get off work," Dante answered. "And we'll try to get most of it moved by the weekend."

"Well, if I can help by either keeping the kids or helping pack and move, I'm willing to help," Laura said.

"We'll probably be calling you," Dante told her. "There's a lot of stuff we'll have to put in storage or try to sell."

"You really don't have time to move and have a garage sale right now though," Olivia pointed out.

"Yeah, we can always store stuff, and then have a sale later, we need to focus on getting you guys moved in," Lulu said. "I think for now we should put Mia's bedroom stuff in storage so we can paint and everything."

"We don't have to paint," he replied.

"Dante, those walls are gray, I'm not moving her in there with gray walls," she told him.

"Baby, that's what she's used to seeing in there," he said. "Let's just wait."

"No, because we're moving the furniture that's in there now out, then we would be moving hers in just to have to move it back out again when we actually get ready to pain," Lulu argued. "It will be easier just to get it over with now while we have the furniture out."

"Okay," he relented.

"You should've learned by now that you don't win when you argue with women," Olivia told her son.

"So since you're moving in together, does this mean we'll be hearing wedding bells sometime soon?" Laura wondered hopefully. "And I'm assuming you've worked through all of your problems."

"We did," Lulu nodded. "After having many, many hours to talk things over, we know we plan on spending the rest of our lives together, and while an engagement or a wedding aren't on the immediate agenda, we want the kids to know how serious we are about staying together, but since we can't adopt them until we get married, the kids are happy with calling the other parent 'mom' or 'dad.'"

"That's wonderful, honey," Laura smiled. "I know it took a lot for you to get to the point you're at today and I couldn't be happier for you."

After visiting with Laura for awhile longer, they went home. Lulu put Mia in the Pack 'n' Play for her to sleep, then went downstairs to fold and hang up laundry that was in the dryer. Meanwhile, Lexi took a shower and Dante helped Lulu by putting laundry away, so he could make sure the boys took turns showering instead of playing video games.

Dante had made one trip upstairs to put clothes away, but when he didn't come back, Lulu took a basket full of Lexi's clothes upstairs to put away. About halfway up the stairs, she could hear Mia still crying, something she never did at bedtime. When she got into the hallway, she saw Dante standing at the door to Mia's room. She went into Lexi's room.

"What's wrong with Mia?" Lexi wondered.

"She doesn't want to go to sleep," Lulu replied, putting the clothes into drawers. "You want me to read you a bedtime story?"

"Can Dan—I mean Daddy read me a story?" Lexi asked.

"I'll ask him, but I'm sure he can," Lulu smiled. "I'll be back in here in a few minutes to kiss you goodnight."

"Okay," Lexi replied with a smile as Lulu finished putting away the clothes before going back into the hallway where Dante was.

"She's not sleepy," Lulu told him.

"Too much candy?" He wondered, she nodded, confirming his worries. "I guess I'll go get her."

"I will," Lulu replied, Dante raised his eyebrows, remembering what she had told him earlier about staying up with Mia. "Lexi has requested that _**you**_ be the one to read her a bedtime story."

"Okay," Dante grinned.

Almost ten minutes had passed when Lulu brought Mia in to Dante. Lulu was able to get Mia to stop crying for about two minutes before she started wailing again. Dante heard the cries approach Lexi's door, when he turned to look, Lulu was carrying Mia in the room.

"Your turn Dad," Lulu said, holding Mia out to Dante.

"Oh thanks," Dante replied sarcastically, taking Mia.

"She's not happy with me at all," Lulu told him.

"And you think she will be with me?" He wondered before hearing Mia giggle, they both turned back to the girls to see them playing peek-a-boo.

"I guess as long as you don't try to get her to go to sleep, she'll be fine," Lulu said. "Are you almost done with the bedtime story?"

"We're done actually, Lexi and I were just sitting here talking," Dante said as Lulu sat down on the foot of her daughter's bed.

"About what?" Lulu asked curiously.

"About you and how bad of a mom you are for letting Mia cry," Dante told her.

Lulu's mouth gaped open with a smile. "I did not let her cry!" she defended. "I was trying to console her; she just didn't want to go to sleep."

"Baby, I'm kidding," he said, placing a hand on her knee. "I was just asking Lexi if she knew she had a gorgeous mom."

"Now you're just trying to suck up," Lulu rolled her eyes.

"If you don't believe me, ask your daughter," Dante said.

"Lexi?"

"He did say you were gorgeous," Lexi smiled.

Lulu eyed her daughter suspiciously, but could tell she was telling the truth. "Okay…" she said, looking down to Mia in Dante's lap, she was now asleep. "See! I told you she wasn't happy with me, she wanted her daddy."

"Well it's about time she wants me, since she's been saying 'Mama' for months now and she's said 'Dada' a total of three times," Dante said.

"Oh, you've kept count?" Lulu laughed.

"It was a rare occasion, of course I kept count," he replied.

"Okay Lexi Lu, it's bedtime," Lulu said after looking at the clock.

"Aw man," Lexi replied as she laid down.

"I know, but you have school tomorrow," Lulu said, standing up and kissing Lexi's cheek.

"I don't want to go to school," she pouted.

Lulu looked at Dante sadly.

"Look Lex, you have to go to school because your mom and I will get arrested if you don't," Dante said. "Tanner and Bridger will be there, you're going to be safe, and if something happens, we're only a phone call away."

"Okay," she nodded, still unsure as Dante kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight Princess," he whispered.

"That's what you call Mia," she noted.

"Well you're both my princesses," he told her. "So I can call you both that."

"Oh," she realized.

"Goodnight," Lulu said before turning out the light, then turning to Dante. "I'm going to go tell the boys goodnight while you put her to bed."

A few moments later, Lulu walked back into what would now be Mia's room to see Dante watching the her sleep.

"That was fast," he said as Lulu joined him.

"The boys were already asleep with the light on and all," Lulu replied.

"No wonder it's been so quiet," Dante commented. "Can you believe that in a little over a month she's going to be a one-year-old?"

"I know, this year has gone by way too fast," Lulu said. "Did you really tell Lexi I was gorgeous?"

"Yeah…then I had to explain that it was another word for really, really pretty," Dante answered.

"I like when you call me 'gorgeous,'" she smiled, taking his hand.

"Then I'll have to start calling you that more often," he said, leaning in to kiss her briefly.

"You know, we had that big fight, but then we never got to make up properly," she grinned with a spark in her eyes.

"Heaven forbid that doesn't happen," he said before crashing his lips to hers.

For several long minutes, he lost himself in the kiss. She was so warm in his arms, so soft and pliable. Her fingers were teasing the hair at the back of his head and he was growing harder by the second. She pushed her hips against him and he clutched her waist with a groan, breaking their kiss.

"You have no idea what you do to me," he whispered, touching her flushed cheek. "Gorgeous," he added in a growl.

She sucked in a breath and Dante watched in fascination as her eyes widened, taking over nearly every speck of amber in her eyes. Then he was lifting her off her feet, his arms snug around her waist.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Taking you to bed," he replied and held his lips just over hers when he added, "gorgeous."

Her delighted shiver tingled through both of them and Dante grinned. He walked them into her bedroom—their bedroom, kicking the door shut before laying her down, pausing just long enough to pull his shirt off. She bit her lip at the sight of his exposed chest and, though he didn't quite understand her fascination with it, he gave her the room to run her palms over his chest and down his stomach. While she was occupied with that, he grabbed her shirt at the stomach and pulled it from her pants.

"Dante," she breathed his name and laughed when he yanked the shirt up until it was covering her face. A moment later, they were facing each other again, and Dante drank in the sight of her brilliant smile.

Under him, Lulu squirmed, her hands sliding back up his chest to circle his arms. He glanced down and watched her eyes flicker over his shoulders and up his neck until she was looking into his face.

"Did I tell you I'm sorry for being such a jerk?" he asked.

She nodded solemnly, her fingers stroking the outside of his arms. "So does that mean we're not going to fight over stupid stuff anymore?"

He shook his head and leaned down to brush a kiss across her lips. "If it ends like this, I'm going to pick fights with you on a daily basis for the rest of our lives."

Lulu burst into laughter and he grinned, watching her. She was so beautiful it made his chest ache. She rolled them, climbing over top of him.

He rested his head against her pillows, taking in the heart-stopping view above him. Giving him a wink, Lulu reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra. Exhaling through clenched teeth, Dante reached for her, circling her breasts adoringly and closing his fingers over her taut nipples. She sighed and relaxed into his hands while her lower body shifted and he felt her fingers sliding over his stomach towards his pants a second later.

Dante countered by undoing her jeans at the same time. She cocked an eyebrow at him and moved her body again, just enough so that she could wriggle her hand into his pants. He gasped and tried to undo her zipper to do the same, but she was quicker. He dropped his head to the pillows and groaned as she circled his engorged flesh with her hand.

With a giggle, Lulu stroked him, somehow managing to work his pants lower over his hips. Coming back to himself, Dante lifted his head and grasped her hips. He rolled them, his weight and height no match for Lulu's feeble protests. With her on her back again, he yanked her pants and panties roughly, stripping her naked in seconds.

"No fair," she pouted playfully and tried to reach for his jeans.

He swatted her hands away and shucked his jeans and boxers off. Then he rolled over her, parting her legs with his thigh and kissing her lips. She moaned into his mouth and he pushed his tongue inside, his mind spinning at her taste. It had been nearly a week since they'd been naked together, but he hadn't forgotten how she opened so sweetly for him; how amazing she tasted and how wet she got under his touch.

Hungry for her, Dante kissed her deeply, stroking her sides and drinking in her sounds of pleasure. He worked his finger between her legs, stroking her damp heat and making her press her head back against the bed with a strangled cry. As she bucked against his hand, Dante kissed her throat, licking the jumping pulse point under her chin. He moved over her and sank deep inside her body as he clamped his mouth down on her neck.

As their bodies began to rock together, pushing and pulling in a devastating rhythm, he sucked on her skin, made love to her body and growled when her nails raked fresh trails across his back.

Lifting his head, he brushed her hair off her face and watched her. Her eyes fluttered open after a second, as if she could feel his gaze on her. She smiled, her face flushed with color and her lips swollen from his kisses. He ground against her with his next thrust, giving her a wicked grin when she moaned. Lowering his head, he kissed her mouth, teasing her lips apart with his tongue and sliding inside.

She was sweet and hot and fit so snugly around him. Dante groaned as he felt her muscles squeeze him, her grip on his shoulders one step short of painful. Not that he cared; he loved to draw this response from her. He loved to see her arching under him, drinking in his kisses and coming apart around him. He was so tuned into her at that moment, so entranced by her, that he came with her, sliding over the edge with a cry.

Some time later, they lay silently together, tangled in a heap in their bed and Dante dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder. She shivered and he increased the strength of his hold, smiling against her skin when she shivered again.

"So does that apology mean that Mia gets a big birthday party?" Lulu wondered.

It was his turn to let out a laugh. "We'll see."

* * *

_I know this was a bit of a fluff chapter, but I think you deserved it after enduring the last few chapters :)_


	28. A Reason to Celebrate

_So I'm not proofreading this so I can get it out to you sooner. I know it's been forever, but once again, life has been crazy and some things have been beyond my control. This is the last chapter before the epilogue :(_

**Chapter 28 - A Reason to Celebrate**

"So the centerpieces…you still wanted to just do the balloons, right?" Olivia asked as she sat in Lulu's office, going over final plans for Mia's first birthday set to take place five days later in one of the Metro Court ballrooms.

"Yes, but only about 6 or 7 on each table and please make sure they make the strings long enough so you can see across the table when you sit down," Lulu requested.

"I will personally make sure that it is done correctly," Olivia said.

"I'm sorry for being so picky, but I want her day to be perfect," Lulu told her.

"I know after I moved out I told you I wouldn't meddle, but after what happened with Bridger's party, I have to ask…" she paused. "Is Dante okay with this?"

"Yes, we compromised, we're doing the party here because Carly offered the space free of charge and not going all out on gifts because she has plenty of toys as it is and will be getting more at her party, not to mention Christmas," Lulu explained. "And anything I've picked out for the party, Dante has either been with me or has approved it."

"Good, I'm glad you've found a middle ground," Olivia smiled. "How are things going at home? I've been so busy with all these holiday parties that I barely have time to see my own apartment, so I haven't had a chance to stop by."

"Things are going good, I think Mia's room is almost finished, we picked out some new crib bedding together, I gave him a few of my ideas and he said he would take care of everything else, so he, Lucky and Ethan have been in there after work and on days off trying to get everything finished," Lulu said. "Unfortunately, he wanted to make it a surprise, so I hope it's not completely awful."

"Well, you do have to give him **some** credit, he did pick out the décor for her nursery at the old house," Olivia reminded her. "So is that what he's doing today since he's off work?"

"Yeah, I think Ethan is over there helping him, which could be a good or bad thing," Lulu said.

"So since they're painting and stuff, where is Mia sleeping?" Olivia asked

"With us," Lulu sighed. "Well, in her pack 'n play in our room."

"_Our__room_, that sounds so romantic," Olivia gushed.

"Yeah, it would be a lot more romantic if we didn't have a one-year-old in there every night," Lulu said with a laugh.

"Maybe you could put her in the downstairs room when you need some alone time," Olivia suggested.

"We tried, I was too paranoid to leave her down there by herself," Lulu confessed.

"Then for your sake, I hope they get her room finished soon," Olivia laughed. "Are Lexi, Tanner and Bridger doing better?"

"Yeah, we've gone over a week without having at least one of them end up in bed with us, Lainey referred me to a really good child psychologist, the kids seem to like her," Lulu replied. "Their teacher said they've really been sticking together at school instead of spending time with their other friends, which I'm a little worried about. I'm glad that they're close, but I don't want them shutting their friends out because of what happened. I don't want this to define them."

"It won't, but it is going to take some time," Olivia said. "They're tough, they're part of you and Dante, for crying out loud."

"I know, I just hate that they had to go through what they did," Lulu told her. "I guess I should be thankful that things weren't any worse than what they were."

"You should, but seeing one child go through that is more than enough, you have three and they're all dealing with it differently," Olivia reminded her. "It will be easier to be thankful when your kids aren't affected by it anymore."

"Yes, it will," Lulu agreed, leaning back in her chair.

"Are you finished Christmas shopping?" Olivia asked, putting down her folder that she had been taking notes in.

"For the most part," Lulu answered. "I thought I would take the kids this week to pick out their gifts for the white elephant game at your family Christmas."

"You don't sound too excited about that," Olivia noted.

"I'm just nervous, I guess," Lulu told her. "I mean, Dante's met most of my family, he got to experience the Quartermaine Thanksgiving, and if you don't count Kate, you're the only family of his that I've met. I know Bridger will be a little more comfortable, but I'm a little worried about Tanner and Lexi. At least after Halloween and Thanksgiving, Mia's stranger anxiety is basically gone."

"I'm sure that if you're worried about the kids, Dante would understand if you wanted to keep them home," she said.

"I don't want to though, I want to go and meet your family and see that they're just as dysfunctional as my family and get to know them and let them get to know me and my kids, and urghhh," Lulu groaned. "I just wish I didn't worry as much."

"Everything will be fine and if something does come up, we'll handle it," Olivia assured her. "You just need to breathe."

Lulu took a few deep breaths in and out before her cell phone began to ring, causing her to jump. She looked at the phone, it was Dante.

"Hi," she smiled.

"Hey baby, what's going on?" he asked

"Oh, just sitting here talking to your mom," Lulu told him.

"About me?" he questioned.

"No!" she laughed. "We've been finalizing plans for Mia's big party this weekend, and then we started discussing Christmas plans."

"Well tell her she should come to our family birthday party tonight," he said.

"Shoot, I forgot about the cupcakes, do you think you could go pick them up?" she wondered. "They'll be closed by the time I leave here."

"Yeah, I'm on my way to pick up the kids from school anyway, then I have a few more things I need to do in Mia's room before it's ready to be unveiled tonight," Dante said. "I'll go pick up the cupcakes after I pick up the kids."

"You actually have the room finished?" she asked.

"You didn't have any confidence in me, did you?" he countered, pretending to be hurt.

"I did, but I was beginning to think you and my brothers might be turning it into a man cave," Lulu admitted.

"And have Mia in our room forever?" he asked. "Not a chance."

Lulu let out a laugh. "I will be home as soon as I can," she told him. "Are you going to pick up Mia from Mom's or do I need to?"

"I can, but I'll need to come by and switch vehicles since her car seat is in your car," he answered.

"Oh, I forgot it was in there," Lulu replied. "I can go get her; I just wanted to make sure someone picked her up."

"Your mom could just bring her over when she comes," he suggested. "She has a car seat, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, but I've already been away from her all day and I want to spend as much time with her on her birthday as possible," Lulu explained

"I understand…I will see you when you get home," Dante said. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too," Lulu smiled, that was something she never got tired of hearing or saying. She hung up the phone and looked at Olivia. "What time do you get off work?"

"I'm hoping to be out of here in the next hour or so," Olivia said, looking at her watch.

"We're celebrating Mia's birthday tonight, just us and the kids, we invited my mom and I'm hoping you would be able to join us as well," Lulu told her.

"I'd love to," Olivia replied happily. "What time?"

"We plan on having dinner around 6:30," Lulu replied. "And Dante said he will be unveiling the nursery tonight."

"That's great!" Olivia exclaimed. "I can't wait to see it."

When Lulu walked into the house later that evening, she could smell the white chicken chili simmering on the stove.

"Your birthday dinner smells good, Mia," she told the baby.

"Mom!" Tanner exclaimed, running into the kitchen at Lulu put her purse down. "Can we have cake now?"

"No, not until after dinner," Lulu told him.

"Aww man," he said, then lightly grabbed Mia's hand. "Happy Birthday Mia."

"Where are Dante, Bridger and Lexi?" she asked him as they started into the living room

"Bridger is right there," Tanner pointed to the couch where he and Bridger had been watching TV. "Lexi is in her room and Dad is in Mia's room, I think."

"Hey Bridger," Lulu said.

"Hi Mom," he replied, barely looking away from the TV.

"Did you have a good day at school?" she asked.

"Yeah, I made an A on my spelling test," he mumbled.

"Good job, buddy," Lulu said, ruffling his hair a little, then looked at Tanner. "How did you do on your spelling test?"

"I missed four of them," Tanner answered.

The kids had 10 spelling words to learn each week. This was the advantage of having three kids in the same grade and same class because they could study with each other. They had to get at least 7 spelling words correct or they had to retake it once, and then the teacher gave them the best of the two grades. However, spelling wasn't Tanner's strong suit, he liked history better. Bridger excelled in science, while Lexi favored spelling and math. They all did well in most subjects, but they had their struggles.

"Well, we'll just have to study a little harder tonight," Lulu said as Mia started trying to wiggle out of her arms. "You can't get down, we have to go find daddy."

"Dada," Mia said.

"Yes, Dada," Lulu repeated as she started up the stairs.

Lulu first looked in on Lexi, to find her playing contently with one of her baby dolls. So she went to the nursery and knocked, knowing it would be locked even if she tried to get in. She looked to the bottom of the door and saw the light go out before Dante quickly opened the door a little, walked out and shut the door behind him, making sure it was locked.

"Hi baby," he smiled before kissing Lulu deeply.

"You're not even going to give me a sneak peek?" she pouted when they ended the kiss.

"Nope," he said simply, taking Mia from Lulu and tossing her in the air. "Hi birthday girl!"

"I hope it's finished, Dante, because I told our moms you were doing the big reveal tonight," Lulu pointed her finger at him teasingly.

"It's finished," he assured her, tossing Mia in the air again, causing her to continue to giggle.

"You better hope it's finished and that Mia will actually sleep in there," she said.

"Why's that?" he wondered with his focus still on Mia.

Lulu leaned in to whisper in his ear, and then gave him a devious grin before turning to walk away.

Dante was at a loss for words while watching the sway of Lulu's hips as she walked down the hallway toward the stairs. He then turned back to his daughter. "Please sleep good tonight, Mia."

When he got downstairs, Lulu was getting bowls out of the cabinet to begin setting the table in the breakfast nook for the adults and places at the bar for the kids.

"So Ma is coming tonight?" Dante asked, taking the bowls from her. "Trade me, I'll set the table, I told you I was taking care of dinner tonight."

"I hope she is," Lulu answered, taking Mia and handing over the bowls. "I haven't talked to her since she left my office earlier this afternoon, she was going to try to get out of there early, I went by her office on my way out, but she wasn't there, so I hope that means she left already."

"We'll set a place for her just in case," Dante said

Mia began wiggling out of Lulu's arms, so Lulu put her on the floor in the kitchen. She immediately went over to the cabinet and used it to pull herself up.

"Come here Mia, walk to Mama," Lulu sat on her heels a foot or so away from Mia.

Dante walked over to get silverware out of the drawer, stopping to watch Mia as she kept one hand on the cabinet as she reached out to Lulu with the other hand. When she realized Lulu was just a little too far away, she got on her knees and crawled to her.

Lulu sighed. "Not quite, Mia," she said, standing up and letting Mia hold her index fingers in each hand as she walked her around the breakfast nook.

"She'll figure it out soon enough, and then we won't be able to keep up with her," he told Lulu as he continued to set the table.

After Olivia and Laura arrived, they sat down to eat dinner, then brought out the pink and purple cupcakes, which matched the big party planned for Saturday.

Dante passed out the cupcakes as Lulu took the wrapper off of one of the pink cupcakes and placed it on the tray of Mia's high chair before grabbing the camera.

"Are we gonna sing 'Happy Birthday?'" Lexi wondered.

"Start us off, Lex," Dante told her.

Lexi began singing and the rest followed suit, Mia went from staring at the cupcake to watching her family sing to her as a grin spread across her tiny face. When they finished, Mia started clapping.

"Yayyy," Lulu said to her, clapping with her.

"Can you believe you've survived the first year?" Laura asked Dante.

"I can't…but I couldn't have done it without Lulu," Dante answered, slipping an arm around Lulu's waist and pressing a kiss to her temple.

"I gotta give it to you two, things got pretty bad at times and I'll be honest, I was afraid you weren't going to make it, but you put up a good fight and everything you've been through has made you stronger," Olivia told them.

Lulu put her arms around Dante and looked at him lovingly before they shared a brief kiss.

"I'm just ready for life to settle down a little bit," Lulu admitted.

Mia hesitantly stuck her finger into the icing and brought it to her mouth to taste. When she decided she liked it, she grabbed a piece of the cupcake next and smashed it in her hands before tasting it.

"Do you like it, Mia?" Lulu asked her, Mia grinned up at her with frosting all over her face.

"I think that's a yes," Laura said as they began to laugh.

Once they finished eating, Dante requested that he show Mia's room to Lulu and Mia only before everyone else saw it. So Laura and Olivia stayed downstairs with the kids while Lulu carried Mia upstairs, following Dante. He unlocked the door and opened it a little, and then covered Lulu's eyes with one hand and turned on the light to the room with the other hand before leading her into the room.

"What is the point of this?" She wondered.

"Because I want to be able to remember the look on your face the second you see this room," Dante told her.

"You're _that_ confident I'm going to like it?" she questioned.

"I'm that confident you're going to love it," he answered, he pulled his hand away. "Open your eyes."

She opened her eyes to see a deep dusty rose colored room with a dark cherry crib complete with sage and wine colored bedding. There was a white arm chair in the corner near the window. The dresser was black and had a changing table. In lieu of a mirror, there were three tiles hanging on the wall spelling out Mia's name.

"Dante…" Lulu gasped, putting Mia down to explore her new room.

"Do you like it?" He asked after a few moments of her silence.

Lulu went to speak, but no words came out, instead, tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Baby, if you hate it, I'll let you hire a decorator to redo it," he said, reaching out to grasp her arm.

"I…I don't hate it," she finally managed to say. "It's perfect, Dante…when we picked out her bedding, this is almost exactly what I pictured her room looking like."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, really," she laughed, cupping his face in her hands before pressing her lips to his. When they pulled away, Mia was standing next to the crib, holding onto it with one hand. "What do you think about your new room, Mia? Did Daddy do a good job?"

Lulu knelt down to Mia's eyelevel and held her hands out to the baby. Mia let go of the crib and stood there for a moment looking hesitantly at Lulu's hands. She took one step to turn fully toward Lulu. Lulu's eyes widened as she scooted back a little. Mia took another step, then two more before falling into Lulu's arms.

Lulu squeezed Mia tightly as they both started to laugh. "You did it Mia! You finally walked!" she exclaimed, peppering her head with kisses. "Did you see her Daddy?"

"I saw her, she'll be running soon," Dante smiled proudly as he helped Lulu to her feet.

"Look at your new bed, Mia," she said, putting her into the crib.

Mia immediately pulled herself up to the side of the crib, holding on to the railing and taking in her surroundings.

"You think you're going to like it in here, Princess?" Dante asked

"If she won't sleep in here, I will," Lulu admitted.

"Oh no, I don't think so, I worked too hard on this room so we could have alone time," Dante grinned, pulling her to him. "And that's what we're gonna get."

"Oh really?" Lulu cocked her head a little at him as she placed her hands on his chest. "I hope Mia doesn't have other plans…she's the boss, you know."

"We'll just have to make sure she's worn out by bedtime," Dante said.

Mia let out a happy shriek as she patted the wall behind her crib, trying to get one of the pictures hanging on it. Lulu turned and took Mia out of her crib, standing her at the base of it, where she grabbed onto the rails of it. She then sat down in the plush armchair on the other side of the room.

"Come on, baby girl, walk to Mama," she said, holding her arms out.

Mia hesitated, looking from Lulu up to Dante, who was still standing near her.

"I'm not helping you," he told Mia as he took a seat on the arm of the chair Lulu was sitting in.

"It's not that much farther Mia, I know you can do it," Lulu pleaded.

Mia slowly made her way over to Dante and Lulu, only falling once. When she reached for Lulu's hands, Lulu picked her up and tickled her sides.

"Wow," Olivia and Laura both said as they appeared in the doorway with the kids coming in behind them.

"Cool!" Lexi exclaimed.

"Pretty neat, huh?" Lulu smiled at her daughter.

"Yeah," Lexi agreed before she and the boys disappeared

"And we've got something even more exciting to share…" Dante said.

"You're engaged," Laura guessed.

"You're pregnant!" Olivia exclaimed.

Dante and Lulu's eyes went wide as they exchanged glances. "Are they anxious for us to jump on the marriage and babies train or what?" Lulu whispered, they both laughed.

"No to both," Dante told them.

Lulu stood Mia up in front of her, letting her hold on to her finger. "Go get Nonna," she told the baby.

Mia held on to Lulu's finger until she was out of reach, and then took another step before getting down on all fours and crawling to Olivia.

"Well, she took about 7 or 8 steps before you guys got in here," Dante said.

"We were wondering what all the laughing was about," Laura told them.

"Dante, this room is amazing, I can't believe you did all of this," Olivia said.

"I had help from Ethan and Lucky and a few other people who helped picked out décor," Dante admitted. "But thank you."

"Well, we should probably get going, right Laura?" Olivia said.

"Yes, we should, unless you need us to do anything else," Laura added.

"Oh you don't have to rush off, you can stay and spend time with the birthday girl," Lulu offered.

"I've spent all day with her," Laura replied.

"And I have to work in the morning…so I probably should go home and rest," Olivia said, giving Mia a kiss before handing her back to Lulu.

"Goodnight," Laura added.

"Goodnight Mom," Lulu replied as Laura and Olivia hurried out the door.

"What is up with those two?" Dante wondered after their moms had left.

"I have no…oh I might have an idea," Lulu replied.

Dante looked at Lulu sharply. "What did you do?"

"I might have told your mom about our sex life being non-existent because of Mia being in our room," Lulu said, keeping her voice in hushed tones in case the kids happened to be within earshot.

"Oh thanks, now Ma told your mom, and they think we're trying to get rid of Mia and everyone else just so we can have sex," Dante told her.

"Don't be such a baby, it's not like we're teenagers," Lulu playfully slapped his arm before standing up. "And we were kids once, I'm sure they felt the same way about us at some point."

"But I don't want my ma knowing about our sex life," Dante defended as Lulu handed Mia to him. "Why are you handing her to me?"

"Because you're her dad and you're going to give her a bath while I go clean the kitchen," Lulu said as they heard the shower start in the bathroom that connected Lexi and Mia's rooms "Lexi's in the shower, now I have to make sure the boys aren't arguing over who is taking a shower first in their bathroom."

"Okay," Dante sighed as they walked out of Mia's room.

As soon as they stepped into the hall they could hear vomiting in the boys' bathroom.

"Mama, Bridger's sick!" Tanner exclaimed as he came running out of the bedroom.

"Okay, go back in your room for right now," Lulu told Tanner as she hurried into the bathroom to check on Bridger, wetting a washcloth to clean his mouth while Dante stood in the doorway with Mia, careful not to get too close.

"I don't feel good," Bridger groaned to Lulu as she sat down next to him on the floor.

"I know you don't, baby," she said as she pulled his limp body into her arms. "You think you ate too many cupcakes?"

"I didn't eat any cupcakes, I gave mine to Bridger because I didn't feel good," Bridger confessed.

"Why didn't you tell me or your dad that you weren't feeling well?" Lulu asked, coming her fingers through his hair.

"Because I didn't want to ruin Mia's birthday party," Bridger cried softly.

"You wouldn't have ruined your sister's birthday party," Lulu assured him. "How long have you been feeling sick?"

"Since Daddy picked us up at school," Bridger answered.

"Is this the first time you threw up?" Lulu asked.

"Uh-huh," Bridger whispered.

"You have a fever," Lulu said, running her hand over his cheek and forehead. "Do you want to take a bath?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Okay," Lulu said, carefully sitting him back on the floor before getting up and starting the water, once it was the right temperature and the tub was full enough, she turned back to Bridger. "Do you need me or your dad to help you?"

"No," he said.

"I'm going to go talk to your dad and get you some pajamas, if you need me just yell," Lulu told him.

"Okay," he said.

She went into the hall, shutting the bathroom door behind her.

"What do you think is wrong?" Dante asked.

"He probably just has a virus…a 24-hour thing," Lulu replied. "But I'm going to have to strip the boys' beds and clean their room. We'll have to keep the kids away from him so they hopefully won't get it."

"If you would rather me take care of him, I can," Dante offered.

"I don't mind," Lulu said.

"Should I make him a pallet in our room or what?" Dante wondered, unsure of what he could do to help out.

"No, because I'm not sure if Mia will end up in there or not and I really don't want her getting sick," Lulu replied. "I'll sleep in the downstairs bedroom with him, that way he won't be around the other kids."

"I'm feeling a little helpless here, Lulu," he admitted. "What else can I do?"

"Go ahead and give Mia her bath and get her to bed, I'm going to get started on the boys' room, then start on the kitchen," Lulu said.

After stripping and remaking beds, Bridger was ready to get out of the bath. So she carried him to the downstairs bedroom and got him situated there before she cleaned the bathroom so Tanner could get ready for bed. Then she started on the kitchen as Dante came downstairs.

"Where is Bridger?" Dante wondered.

"He's in the bedroom watching TV," Lulu said. "What took so long? Did Mia not want to go to sleep?"

"No, I let her play in the bathtub for awhile before I put her to bed," Dante said as he helped her bring dishes to the sink. "Lexi's already in bed too."

"Thank you," she leaned over and kissed him.

"Are you sure you don't mind taking care of him?" Dante asked

"I don't mind," she assured him. "I just hope that if it makes the rest of us sick, it won't last until Saturday."

"Me too," Dante agreed.

"I'm sorry our plans got pushed to the side," Lulu told him.

"It's okay, our plans can be moved to another night," he replied. "I just want Bridger to feel better."

"Me too," Lulu sighed.

The rest of the week went by without major incident. Lulu was the only other person to get sick, but was able to go back to work Friday morning.

Saturday had finally arrived, the day of Mia's big party. Lulu lay in Dante's arms running through a mental checklist of the things that needed to be done before the party kicked off at 2.

Mia had no problem adjusting to her new room and when Lulu came back to the master bedroom on Thursday night, she wasn't feeling 100% and was asleep before Dante even got the kids to bed. So on Friday night, they took full advantage of their first night alone in quite sometime. She pressed a kiss to his bare chest, and smiled at the thought of the night they had shared.

"What was that for?" Dante mumbled.

Lulu jumped at the sound of his voice. "How long have you been awake?" she wondered.

"Long enough to know you're already worrying out about the party," he told her as he turned onto his side to face her.

"I can't help it, you know I'm not good at delegating tasks for things like this," Lulu admitted.

"I know, but Ma and Carly have everything under control," Dante assured her, kissing her shoulder. "Are you feeling better today?"

"Yes, I feel much better," she replied as she laced her fingers with his. "I just hope none of the kids get up sick."

"I'm sure if any of them were going to get sick, it would've happened before now," he said. "It's so quiet."

"I know, that worries me," Lulu confessed.

"Why? If there was something wrong, I'm sure they would come tell us," he said as he began trailing kisses up her neck. "I know what will take your mind off of things for awhile…"

"I would stay in bed with you all day if I could," Lulu told him, just then Mia's cries came through the baby monitor, Dante's kisses ceased.

"Mia," he sighed.

"Be nice, she's let us have the whole night to ourselves," Lulu placing her hands on his shoulders and pressing her lips against his, he pulled her close to deepen the kiss, but she pulled back.

"What time is it?" He wondered as she got out of bed and put her robe on.

"Almost 7:30," she answered before leaving the room to go get Mia.

Dante took this time to put some clothes on, knowing Lulu would be bringing Mia back into the room in a few minutes. However, his phone began ringing, it was an unknown number.

"Falconeri," he answered after pulling his boxers on.

"Dante, this is Gloria, I'm sorry to be calling so early, but it is a rather urgent matter…" she said.

"It's okay, what's going on?" He asked, it was Camilla's mother, he knew exactly what was going on.

"The NYPD just called a few days ago and apparently Camilla was involved in some kind of illegal activity a little over a month ago, she was shot and killed, her body was found in a dumpster in New York City," Gloria explained.

Dante and quiet for a few moments before he spoke. "I-I'm sorry to hear that," he said.

"The police have been trying to identify her, like I said, this happened over a month ago, but since she had no permanent residence and no identification on her, they had no way of contacting us here in Florida," she went on to explain.

"Is there anything I can do?" Dante asked, sitting down on the bed.

"No, we're flying up there tomorrow to bring her body back, but it's just going to be a quick trip, we'll be coming back Monday morning, I just thought you should know," Gloria said. "How are you and the kids?"

"We're doing great," Dante replied. "They're both growing up so fast."

"I bet they are," she replied, he could almost hear her smile. "Look, I know as grandparents, Scott and I don't have any rights to those kids…and the last thing we want to do is disrupt your life, especially since Bridger probably barely remembers us and we never got a chance to meet the baby, but would it be too much of a problem to e-mail us some pictures of them every so often and let us know how they're doing?"

"Not at all," he answered.

"I know our daughter did you wrong, Dante, but we still love you and those kids and we want the best for you and if there's anything we can do for you, let us know," Gloria told him.

"Thank you, you know I think very highly of you and Scott," Dante replied as Lulu came back in the room carrying Mia, remaining quiet as she saw he was on the phone. "And when the kids are old enough to understand and make their own decisions, maybe they'll want to have a relationship with you, but for right now, I just think it's best to not confuse them."

"I agree," she said. "You're a wonderful father and you have a good head on your shoulders. I wish you and the kids all the best."

"Thank you," he replied. "And I will try to send some pictures this week."

"Thank you for being so understanding, Dante," she said.

After saying their goodbyes, he placed the phone back on the night table next to the bed.

"Who was that?" Lulu wondered, sitting down on the bed with Mia.

"Camilla's mom…" he said monotonously before looking at Lulu. "The police had trouble identifying her to contact them, so they were just notified a few days ago."

"Was she mad?" Lulu wondered as Mia crawled over to Dante, using his arm to help her stand up.

"No…she sounded sad, and a little relieved I think," Dante answered quietly as he watched Mia. "Camilla has caused them so much heartache over the last couple of years."

"So what's going to happen?" Lulu wondered as she looked down at her hands, afraid they would demand to see the kids.

"They're flying up tomorrow to take her body back to Florida," Dante said, knowing what was going through Lulu's mind. "She doesn't want to disrupt the kids' lives, but she asked if I would send some pictures of them every so often and let her know we're okay…don't worry Lu, nothing or no one is going to take the kids away from you."

"I know, it just scares me," she admitted as she felt the sting of tears in her eyes.

"Mama," Mia said in a questioning tone, getting up in Lulu's face, noticing her mood change.

"It's okay, baby girl," she assured her with a smile, cupping her angelic face in her hands and kissing her forehead. "I love you."

"What do you want for breakfast?" Dante asked, getting up off the bed.

"I can fix breakfast," she argued, pulling Mia into her arms and standing up.

"You have a big day ahead of you, let me take care of you," he said, taking her hand in his and kissing her knuckles.

"You have a big day too, you can't get out of Mia's birthday party," Lulu explained.

"I'm not, I just know you're going to be stressed all day, so I'm going to let you take this time to relax while I fix breakfast," he replied.

"Have I told you lately you're my favorite boyfriend?" she questioned.

"I better be your _only_ boyfriend," he laughed as he tickled her side.

"I think we can arrange that," she teased, giggling.

"Come on, so I can go fix breakfast," he told her, putting his arm around her waist.

Later that day, after spending time with family and friends, Lulu and Dante took to the microphone.

"We just want to thank everyone for coming to the party and for being a part of Mia's life this last year," Lulu said. "Until I had kids, I didn't realize exactly what they meant by 'it takes a village to raise a child,' with Tanner and Lexi, it literally took a village of people, but with Bridger and Mia, we've had people help out here and there, but it doesn't mean they don't need you any less, because each and every one of you have offered something special to our children that no one else can give them, and for that, we thank you."

The crowd clapped as Lulu handed the microphone to Dante.

"Hi, I know I haven't been part of this community for very long, but with Lulu's help, I met all of you and I quickly began to feel at home here. My children and I have been welcomed with open arms by Lulu and her family and friends. So I would like to thank all of you for that," Dante said, then turned to Lulu. "And Lulu, I would like to thank you for taking Bridger, Mia and I under your wing and helping us find, not only a sense of community, but a sense of family. I know I've said it before, but I couldn't have survived this last year without you by my side."

"Not true," she whispered with tears in her eyes.

"I know it's been a rough year for all of us, but when I see our children smiling up at us or I look into your eyes, I know that everything is going to be okay, we can make it through anything as long as we have each other," he continued as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black box before getting down on one knee and putting the microphone on the floor. "I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you, that's why I hope you'll make me the happiest man alive and agree to be my wife…Lulu, will you marry me?"

Lulu now had tears streaming down her face as she tried to speak, but no sound came out. She cleared her throat quietly.

"Yes, I'll marry you," she smiled, her voice quivering a little as she was overcome with emotion.

Dante slipped the ring on her finger and quickly stood up to pull her into a hug before kissing her passionately. Everyone in the room was clapping and cheering.

"I love you," he told her as he wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.

"I love you too," she replied, grabbing his hands.

"Are you okay?" he questioned.

"Yeah," she nodded with a laugh. "I'm just so happy."

"Congratulations," Carly said in a singsong voice as she threw her arms around Lulu.

"Thank you," Lulu smiled.

"I get to help plan your wedding, right?" Maxie asked as she took her turn hugging Lulu while Carly hugged Dante.

Lulu glanced at Dante, who smiled in return. "You're too busy," Lulu reminded her.

"Too busy to plan my best friend's wedding?" she questioned incredulously. "I don't think so."

"We'll see," she assured her.

"My baby's getting married!" They heard Olivia exclaim as she threw her arms around both of them. "I am so happy for you both!"

"Thanks Ma," Dante said as she squeezed him tightly.

After accepting hugs and congratulations for nearly half an hour, the party began to wind down. Everyone was either playing with kids or had left.

"Congratulations you two," Laura said, hugging them both as she approached them, then looking at Dante. "I told you she would say yes."

"You knew!" Lulu's eyes went wide.

"Of course she knew, I had to get someone's blessing before I popped the question…with your dad never around, I went to your mom," Dante said. "And the kids of course, but I already knew their answer."

"How long have you known?" Lulu asked Laura.

"Since the night of Mia's birthday," Laura confessed.

"I can't believe you kept it a secret," Lulu shook her head. "I can't believe the kids kept it a secret."

"I better go get Mia, she's trying to pull one of her toys off of the gift table," Laura said, rushing off to get the baby.

"Well, I only talked to the kids earlier today, I knew I wouldn't be able to trust Lexi from spilling the beans," Dante said.

"That's the reason you've been keeping her close by all day, isn't it?" She realized

"Oh yeah, she couldn't lie to you to save her life," Dante said, pulling Lulu close to him. "I hope you don't mind I used Mia's party for our benefit."

"I don't mind, I'm glad we got to share the moment with our friends and family," she smiled, putting her arms around her neck. "And the ring is beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it, I spent a lot of time trying to find the perfect ring," he admitted. "I'm sorry I couldn't get something better…"

"Dante, it's perfect, you could have given me one of those rings from Lexi's dress-up kits and I would have been happy," she told him, looking him in the eyes.

"I know, I just don't want you to be embarrassed to show it off," Dante replied.

"I'm not going to be embarrassed, I can't wait to show it off," she smiled. "If anyone has something bad to say about it, I'll just backhand them and tell them that I can't wait to marry the most amazing man on the planet, who loves me and our children unconditionally."

"You're amazing," he told her before kissing her briefly.

Later that night, they sat in the boys' room talking to the boys and Lexi after reading a bedtime story.

"So we get to be a real family now?" Tanner asked.

"Yeah," Dante answered. "As soon as we get married, we can start the adoption process."

"When are you getting married?" Bridger questioned.

"Um," Lulu paused as she exchanged glances with Dante. "We haven't really discussed that yet, but I think we would agree that the sooner we can get the adoption started, the better."

"Are we going to change our last name?" Lexi wondered.

"That's also something we haven't talked about," Lulu answered. "I will keep the name Spencer for work, like I always have and used Falconeri for everything else. It would be nice if we all had the same last name."

"Bridger and Mia will keep their last name, but I think it would be nice if you could keep the Zacchara name in your full name and add Falconeri too, because it would keep a part of your dad with you," Dante said, glancing at Lulu for guidance.

"Would you want to keep both names?" Lulu asked.

"Yeah, because my friends might not know who I am if my name is just Tanner Falconeri," Tanner nodded, causing Dante and Lulu to laugh.

"So like Lexi Lu Maria Zacchara-Falconeri?" Lexi asked.

Lulu laughed. "It's a bit of a mouthful, I know, but I think it would be a great way to honor your real dad and Dante too," she said.

"Okay," Lexi agreed.

"Now, I think it's bedtime, we have an early morning tomorrow," Dante said, standing up before helping Lulu up off of Bridger's bed.

"Night Mom," Bridger said as Lulu leaned down to kiss Bridger's forehead.

"Goodnight," Lulu replied before standing on the railing to kiss Tanner goodnight. "Night buddy."

"Goodnight Mama," he told her.

They finished their goodnights and went to tell Lexi goodnight.

"Night Lex," Lulu said, kissing her daughter's cheek.

"Night Mama," she replied, then Dante kissed her forehead. "Night Daddy."

"Goodnight Princess," he told her. "I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled.

They checked on Mia before going into their room.

"This day has been perfect," Lulu said as she got under the covers. "It's been a long day, but it was great."

"I'm glad you weren't too worried about everything all day," Dante said, getting in bed and turning out the lights.

"Me too, your mom had everything taken care of," Lulu replied, turning on her side to face Dante. "I can't believe we're getting married."

"Have you thought about dates?" he asked, lacing his fingers with hers.

"The sooner, the better…I'm ready to get the adoption process started," Lulu admitted.

"Oh, so you're just using me for my kids?" He questioned sarcastically.

"Pretty much," she grinned. "I can't wait to be your wife."

"I can't wait to be your husband," Dante added, leaning in to kiss her.

* * *

_I know a lot of you were looking forward to some Christmas scenes, but as you can see, this chapter was really long. I'll try to get some Christmas scenes and/or flashbacks in the epilogue. No promises, but I'll try. In the meantime, I would love to hear feedback on this chapter. And if you'd like to share some of your favorite moments from this fic, I would love to hear them :)_


	29. Epilogue

_So here it is…the final chapter to Come Around. It's taken me long enough, I know, but it's really hard letting go of this story. It's been part of my life for nearly two years (I started writing on it in March 2010). Thank you to everyone who has supported me through it all, I really wouldn't have a reason to write if it wasn't for y'all. If you'd like to hear the song that was the inspiration to all this, check out "Come Around" by Stars Go Dim on YouTube or iTunes (I can't post links on here)._

**Epilogue – 'Cause Forever Love Doesn't Always Come Around Everyday**

"Lu, are you almost ready?" Dante asked, coming into their bedroom to find the love of his life—his Lulu—sitting on the bed with a picture frame and a Kleenex in her hand.

"Yeah," she replied with a nod, but when Lulu looked up at him, he noticed the tears running down her cheeks.

"Hey," he spoke softly, as if to a child as he sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders before pulling her into him. "I thought we agreed not to cry today."

Lulu let out a huff as she willed her tears to stop, "I know," she began, laughing a little as she dabbed the tears stains on her cheeks with the Kleenex. "Do you remember when these were taken?"

He released his hold on her and took the frame that held two 3-by-5 photos side-by-side, smiling proudly at the picture on the left of their children sitting outside of Rainforest Café in Niagara Falls; Bridger was holding Mia with Tanner and Lexi on either side of them. "Our first trip together…the kids' first picture of the four of them," he said, then looked at the picture on the right, one of just him and Lulu. "And this one was from that first Fourth of July we were together, Ma took it."

"You know what I was just thinking about?" Lulu asked

"What?" He wondered.

"Tanner and Lexi's 8th birthday…" she answered, leaning into him. "About how if Mia's hadn't have been sick that day, we may not have gotten back together."

"I like to think something would have brought us back together eventually," Dante said.

"Really?" she smiled at him.

"I always knew you'd come around, that you'd fall for my charm eventually," he teased.

"I'm serious," she said.

"We were meant to be together, Lulu…I think deep down I always knew you would come around," he told her. "You really think we could have stayed apart?"

"When you put it that way, no," she admitted.

Dante ran his thumb over the frame holding the picture of the kids and let out a quiet laugh. "None of us knew then what the future held for us," he said.

"If you knew, do you think you would have run in the other direction?" Lulu wondered.

"Hell no, because as much heartache and sadness there's been, the good outweighs the bad a hundred times over," he explained, pausing for a moment. "Would you?"

"Maybe," she said, then glanced at him to see the shocked look on his face. "I'm kidding…but that first Christmas at your family was almost enough to scare me away."

_*Flashback*_

"_So have you set a date yet?" One of Dante's aunts questioned Lulu, holding Lulu's hand up to the women in Dante's family so they could examine it._

"_Are you pregnant?" Another aunt asked._

"_Look at the size of this ring," one of his cousins said. "It's tiny."_

"_I think it's perfect," Lulu argued, her voice falling on deaf ears as the Falconeri women descended upon her in the kitchen._

_**Why the hell did Dante allow her to be dragged off by all the women in her family? And why wasn't Olivia here yet?**_

"_With your income, I would have thought he could have done better," another cousin complained._

"_She's a big step up from Camilla though," she heard someone say._

_Lulu felt herself being back into a corner as the questions and comments continued to fly._

"_What's going on in here?" she heard another woman's voice, this time she recognized it._

"_We're getting acquainted with your future daughter-in-law," one of the aunts answered._

"_You mean you're harassing her," Olivia corrected, placing her casserole dish on the counter and pushing through the women, grabbing Lulu by the arm and leading her out of the kitchen. "Come on, honey."_

_*End of Flashback*_

"I told you I was sorry!" he exclaimed.

"But you practically fed me to the wolves that day," Lulu reminded him.

"I just thought Aunt Theresa wanted to get to know you, I didn't know they were going to attack," Dante said. "I didn't even know they knew I had proposed."

"Oh come on, you know your mom called them the second she had a chance," Lulu said, wiping away her tears that had ceased.

"Mom!" she heard Bridger yell.

"What?" she asked, putting the picture frame back on the dresser.

"Can you come here?" He asked.

"Yeah," she answered as she started toward the boys' bathroom.

"I forgot how to tie my tie," he told her as she walked in.

"Maybe your dad can help you," Lulu teased.

"No, not after what happened at the wedding," Bridger shook his head.

_*Flashback*_

"_Lulu, I don't want you to panic, but Tanner and Bridger are in the foyer with their ties hanging untied around their necks and they are supposed to be at the front of the church in less than five minutes with Dante and Ronnie," Maxie said, coming into the bridal suite._

"_What?" she asked through gritted teeth, then took a deep breath. "I need to talk to Dante."_

"_You can't see him, it's bad luck," Maxie shrieked._

"_Just go get him, tell him to bring the boys," Lulu told her, for once in their life, she was the one shouting demands instead of Maxie._

"_Okay," Maxie agreed._

_A few minutes later, she heard Maxie instructing Dante to stand outside of the room. Then she came into the room with Bridger and Tanner, leaving the door cracked a little._

"_Why are the boys running around without ties on when they're supposed to be at the front of the church with you as we speak?" Lulu asked_

"_I couldn't remember how to tie a tie from the front," Dante explained. "I was just about to go find someone who could when Maxie came in there."_

"_You have a tie on, right?" she wondered as she watched Maxie tie the boys' ties. "And Ronnie does too?"_

"_Yes baby, we have ours on, we just couldn't get theirs," Dante assured her._

"_Thank you," she muttered._

"_I love you," he said._

"_I love you too," she sighed as Maxie finished with the ties._

"_You look pretty, Mom," Bridger told her._

"_Thank you, sweetie," she smiled, leaning down to kiss his forehead._

"_Dad, come see how pretty she looks," Bridger said, sticking his head out the door._

"_I can't buddy, it's bad luck," Dante told him. _

"_Says who?" Bridger wondered._

"_The wedding bosses," Dante answered, but received an unsure look from Bridger. "I'll see her soon enough…but I'm sure she would look just as beautiful if she were wearing sweatpants and an old t-shirt."_

"_Dad!" Tanner said as he and Bridger began to giggle._

"_Tell Aunt Maxie thank you, boys," Lulu said, changing the subject quickly before she began to cry, she couldn't wait to see Dante in his tux and to vow to stand by his side for the rest of their lives._

"_Thanks Aunt Maxie," the boys said._

"_You're welcome," Maxie told them._

"_You two keep your dad and Uncle Ronnie in line," Lulu told Tanner and Bridger as they went through the opening in the door._

"_We will," Tanner assured her._

_*End of Flashback*_

"There you go, buddy," Lulu smiled as she finished with his tie. "Where's your brother?"

"He's still downstairs eating breakfast," Dante told her

"Is he dressed?" she wondered.

"No, I didn't want him getting syrup on his clothes," Dante said.

Lulu smiled before kissing him. "Thank you for fixing them breakfast," she said.

"You two are gross," Bridger said before pushing past them out of the bathroom.

"Oh hush," Lulu teased.

"There are still some pancakes left if you want some," Dante told her.

"No, I couldn't eat if I wanted to," Lulu shook her head.

"You feeling okay?" He questioned.

"Yeah, just butterflies I guess," she answered. "Where are the girls?"

"Lexi is probably getting ready and Mia is playing in her room," Dante replied.

"Do I need to get her ready?" Lulu asked as they walked out of the bathroom.

"You can or I can, but you'll need to pick out the clothes you want her to wear," Dante replied.

"How about you go make sure Tanner isn't downstairs watching TV and I'll get Mia ready," Lulu suggested as she heard something fall in Lexi and Mia's bathroom.

"Mia!" Lexi exclaimed. "Mom!"

Lulu let out a sigh and took off toward the bathroom to find Lexi holding Mia back from a picture frame on the floor with pieces of glass surrounding it.

"I'll go get a broom," Dante said as he quickly left the bathroom.

"What happened?" Lulu asked as she took Mia from Lexi and they stepped out of the bathroom into Lexi's room.

"Mia knocked that picture off of the vanity and it broke," Lexi explained.

"Mia, you aren't supposed to be messing with stuff in the bathroom," Lulu told her as she went back into the bathroom to pick up what she could of the picture and frame.

"That was my favorite picture," Lexi said sadly, taking the picture out of Lulu's hand and going to sit on the bed.

"We can get a new frame to put it in, sweetie," Lulu assured her, placing the larger pieces of glass into the trash can, then placing the frame and picture on the vanity.

Meanwhile, Mia had busied herself with Lexi's dollhouse. Lulu came back into the bedroom and sat down on the bed next to Lexi.

"Why is this your favorite?" Lulu wondered, looking at a picture of herself with Lexi and Cinderella from the Disney Cruise they went on after Dante and Lulu's honeymoon.

"I don't know, I think it was my favorite place we've been," Lexi answered.

"But we went to a lot of places on that cruise," Lulu reminded her.

"Okay, it was my favorite vacation," she amended as Dante came back in with a broom and dustpan. "It was right after you and Daddy got married and I remember when we met you guys at the airport that night, we were so happy to see you—"

"And we were happy to see you too," Dante added from the bathroom.

"And you two looked more in love than ever," Lexi added, Dante and Lulu looked at each and smiled at the fact that an 8-year-old would notice something like that. "That was the first time since we were kidnapped that I didn't feel afraid."

_*Flashback*_

"_This is so cool!" Lexi exclaimed as they were being seated at their table for dinner in a fairytale-themed restaurant._

"_It is, isn't it?" Lulu agreed, almost as excited as her daughter._

"_I think it's dumb," Tanner said._

"_To be fair, your sister endured that 'Pirates of the Caribbean' dinner party yesterday, the least you could do is sit quietly and pretend to enjoy it," Dante told the boys, who both looked unhappy._

"_I can take you two back to the room if you'd rather not eat dinner," Olivia offered._

"_No," Bridger spoke up, elbowing Tanner._

"_Who's more excited, Lexi, you or Mom?" Laura asked her granddaughter as she put Mia in her highchair._

"_Me!" Lexi answered._

"_I don't know, your mom looks pretty excited," Dante said._

"_Don't make fun, you were the one dressed up as a pirate with the boys for that party yesterday," Lulu giggled._

"_I made a good pirate," he argued._

"_You did make a good pirate, but my point is that we're on vacation, so if I want to be excited about meeting Cinderella, I can be," Lulu said, sticking her tongue out at her husband._

_Dante's eyes widened at Lulu's revelation, as did Lexi's._

"_We get to meet Cinderella?" Lexi exclaimed._

"_There goes that surprise," Dante muttered._

"_Sorry," Lulu told him before turning to Lexi. "It was supposed to be a surprise."_

"_When?" Lexi exclaimed._

"_Here in a little while," Dante answered_

"_Now she's not going to be able to sit still," Olivia laughed as they watched Lexi begin to look around the room._

_When their meal was brought to the table, Lexi ate her dinner as quickly as Lulu would allow. Then she made an attempt at being patient while her family continued to eat._

"_Mama, when's she going to be here?" Lexi leaned over and whispered to Lulu after sitting there quietly for a few minutes._

"_I don't know, hopefully soon," Lulu answered._

"_Excuse me," someone said as Lexi felt them tap her shoulder. "I'm looking for Lexi, do you know where she is?"_

_Lulu watched as Lexi's eyes went wide and she turned around to come face-to-face with her favorite fairytale princess._

"_How do you know my name?" Lexi wondered as she scrambled out of her seat to hug Cinderella._

_Lulu had tears in her eyes as she started taking pictures of the interaction between the two. It had been a long time since Lexi had been this excited about anything other than her family._

"_Because it's my job to know the names of all the princesses on this ship," Cinderella replied, kneeling down to hug the girl._

"_Really?" Lexi grinned._

"_Yes," Cinderella smiled. "Are you having fun on your trip?"_

"_Mmhmm," Lexi nodded._

"_What did you get to do today?" she asked_

"_We went to Cozumel, and we got to go off-roading and to these caves, they were really cool," Lexi explained._

"_My goodness, it sounds like you had a lot of fun, I have heard a lot about those caves," Cinderella told me. "Do you think I could ride in one of those off-road vehicles in my dress?"_

_Lexi giggled. "No, you would have to change clothes first," she answered._

"_And you brought all of your family, I see," Cinderella smiled, looking around the table._

"_Yeah, this is my sister Mia, Grandma, Nonna, my brothers, who thinks this is stupid, my daddy and my mama," Lexi introduced them._

"_What a lucky little girl you are to have all of your family here with you," Cinderella told Lexi. "Can you look at your mom and smile?"_

_Lexi looked at Lulu and smiled._

"_Will you take a picture with us, Mama?" Lexi asked._

"_Sure," Lulu said, handing the camera to Laura and getting up to kneel down next to her daughter._

"_Say 'princesses,'" Laura told them._

"_Princesses," they said in unison, smiling as Laura took the picture._

"_Can you tell Cinderella thank you for coming to see you?" Lulu asked her daughter._

"_Thank you," Lexi said, hugging Cinderella tightly._

"_You're welcome," Cinderella hugged Lexi, as well. "It was so nice to meet you, enjoy the rest of your vacation."_

_*End of Flashback*_

"That was a really good vacation," Dante said as he poured the shards of glass into the trashcan.

"I'm glad that, that trip holds such good memories for you," Lulu put an arm around her daughter and pulled her into a hug. "And we'll get a new frame for this picture so you can always remember it."

"Thanks Mama," she said.

Dante scanned the floor carefully for any pieces of glass, before sticking his head out of the bathroom. "Mia…" he said in a stern tone, when she looked up at him, he used his index finger to signal for her to come to him. "Come here."

"No," she told him, pulling Lexi's curtains in front of her.

"Mia," Lulu said in a tone similar to Dante's.

"Mia go bye-bye," Mia replied from behind the curtain, causing Lexi to giggle.

Dante walked over and grabbed the two-and-a-half-year-old from behind the curtain, tickling her as he picked her up, and then sat her down on the bed next to Lulu. He knelt down in front of her to get her attention.

"Mia, you know you're not supposed to be in the bathroom when Mama or I aren't in there with you," he told her. "And you're _really_ not supposed to be climbing on the counters."

"You broke Lexi's picture frame," Lulu added. "Can you tell her you're sorry?"

"Sorry Lex," Mia said as she leaned forward to look past Lulu to her sister.

"It's okay," Lexi replied

"Tanner is getting ready, by the way," Dante said.

"Okay, I should probably get Mia ready to go," Lulu added, standing up as Mia slid off the bed and she took her hand. "Come on troublemaker."

"We need to leave in 20 minutes, baby," Dante reminded her.

"I know," Lulu sighed.

"I'm going to get the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher," he said before Lulu and Mia walked toward Mia's room.

"Can I help you, Daddy?" Lexi wondered.

"If you're finished getting ready, you can," Dante answered.

"I need someone to fix my hair," Lexi replied.

"Baby, how do you want Lexi's hair fixed?" Dante asked, walking through the bathroom into Mia's room.

Usually, Lexi got to decide how her hair would be fixed, but Dante knew how special this day was and how important it was to Lulu for her family to look their best.

"Just let her put a headband in it," Lulu said, glancing up from where she was taking Mia's clothes off to see what Lexi's hair looked like.

Even though Dante had overcome his fear of fixing Lexi and Mia's hair, and was actually halfway decent at it for a dad, he was glad he didn't have to fix it this morning. He watched as Lexi placed the headband in her hair, then as she messed with it a little.

"Does that look okay, Mama?" Lexi questioned.

"It looks great, sweetie," Lulu smiled, looking up again from where she was helping Mia change clothes. "Dante, please don't let her play in the water if she's going to help you."

"I won't," Dante replied, noticing the look on his wife's face before she turned back to the changing table, he leaned down to Lexi. "Can you go on downstairs and get started on the dishes?"

"Mmhmm," Lexi smiled before taking off downstairs.

"Is there anything else I can do to help you out?" He asked, walking up behind her at the changing table and putting his arms around her waist as he pressed a kiss to her neck. "The dishes can wait."

"No, I just have to get Mia ready and get Tanner's tie on him, then we'll be ready," Lulu answered as she continued to dress Mia. "Oh, and I need to get her bag ready."

"I'll do it," he said, grabbing the diaper bag before Lulu could protest.

"Thank you," Lulu replied quietly as she placed Mia on the floor after she finished dressing her.

"Mom, can you tie my tie?" Tanner asked, coming into Mia's room.

"Of course," Lulu said, walking over to her son and kneeling down to tie his tie.

"Are you crying?" Tanner wondered, noticing the few tears streaming down Lulu's face.

"I'm okay," she assured him with a smile as she finished with his tie, then quickly wiped her tears. "There you go."

"Thanks," he told her.

"Hey buddy, can you and Bridger take your sister downstairs while I talk to your mom?" Dante asked

"Bridger already went downstairs, but I'll take her," he said, taking Mia's hand. "Come on Mia."

"Thanks T," he replied, as the two left the room.

Lulu stood and quickly turned away from Dante, busying herself by folding the pajamas she took off of Mia before putting them in the laundry basket.

"I didn't mean to upset you," he said, lightly grasping her arm and turning her toward him a little more. "I can take everything out of Mia's bag and you can get it ready if you want to."

"No, it's not that…" she said.

"Then what is it?" He wondered as he began to wipe the tears from her face.

"They're happy tears, I promise," she assured him with a smile as she reached up to take his hands in hers. "I don't know if I've told you lately how much I appreciate all you do, even just the little things like getting Mia's bag ready or washing dishes when you know I have a million things on my mind."

"Thank you, but compared to all that you do, I feel a little inadequate," he said. "You take care of everything and everyone all the time, and I like being able to help out when I can."

"Well thank you for being the best husband and father we could ever ask for," she smiled, pressing her lips to his and kissing him briefly. "We should probably get downstairs before our kids decide to have a water fight with the dishwater."

"I'm sure they're fine," Dante said, holding on to her hand as she grabbed Mia's bag.

"Maybe for now, but if we don't get down there, we're going to have to get the kids ready all over again and then we'll be late," Lulu reminded him.

"Fine," he sighed, laughing at the thought of their three 9-year-olds and 2-year-old soaking wet in their kitchen covered in soap suds.

When they were almost down the stairs, Lulu could hear Tanner talked softly, but couldn't see him. She turned to Dante and put a finger to her mouth, motioning for him to be quiet. Then she went over to the couch to find Tanner and Mia sitting on the floor between the couch and the coffee table playing with Mia's stuffed dolphin animal she got in the Bahamas last Christmas.

"Did you know that dolphins can jump almost twenty feet out of the water Mia?" He asked, Mia nodded. "Mama said that's almost four times as tall as she is."

Lulu and Dante continued to watch the interaction as Mia looked from the stuffed animal to Tanner in wonder.

"And they can eat as much as thirty pounds a day!" He said. "That's almost as much as you, Mia."

Mia's eyes widened and she shook her head no.

"Oh no, they wouldn't eat you, they only eat fish," he told her. "Dolphins are nice…remember when we got to play with them at Atlantis?"

Mia nodded happily.

_*Flashback*_

"_Hold on, Tanner," Lexi giggled as the dolphins pulled her brother through the water._

"_Mom, look!" Tanner exclaimed as water splashed in his face._

_When they got to the other side, the dolphins turned around a brought him back. He was laughing the whole way._

"_Will you let Cosmo and Julian kiss you?" the dolphin trainer asked Tanner, who nodded in return with a smile._

_The trainer gave the command to the dolphins. They quickly came up on either side of Tanner and pressed their noses to his cheeks. He grinned widely as Lulu took a few pictures._

"_How do they know what to do?" Tanner wondered._

"_Because dolphins are very smart," the trainer replied. "See what happens when you call Julian 'Flipper.'"_

"_Come here Flipper," Tanner said_

_The dolphin put its nose into the water, then rose back up and spit water at Tanner._

"_Hey!" Tanner exclaimed, laughing as he splashed the dolphin._

_Lulu took pictures as each of the kids took their turns. Finally, it came to Mia._

"_Okay Mia, it's your turn," Dante said_

"_No," Mia said, wrapping her arms around Lulu's leg._

"_Mia, it's fun, they won't hurt you," Tanner told her, bending over to her eyelevel, resting his hands on his knees. "They're nice."_

"_Daddy's going to go with you," Lulu added._

"_No, you," Mia said, looking up at Lulu._

"_Daddy wants to take you," Lulu made an attempt at coercing the two-year-old._

"_No," she stomped her foot for emphasis. "Mama."_

"_Okay, I'll go with you," she gave in, knowing Dante had wanted to take Mia, but she clearly was not having it, she glanced at her husband as she handed him the camera. "I'm sorry."_

"_It's okay," he assured her. "Maybe another time."_

_Even though Dante had his heart set on taking Mia into the water with the dolphins, he wasn't too disappointed when he saw the interaction between his wife, daughter and the dolphins. Mia was a little afraid at first, but with some coaxing from the other kids and encouragement from Lulu, she warmed up to them. After that, Lulu and Mia couldn't stop smiling._

_*End of Flashback*_

"You're such a good big brother, Tanner," Lulu said, making their presence known.

"Mia's lucky to have a brother who is as smart as you and is patient enough to teach her new things," Dante added.

"Are we ready to go?" Tanner asked, in an attempt to get the attention off of him, something he had never cared much for.

"Just about," Dante answered. "Did you and Bridger brush your teeth?"

"Uh-huh," Tanner answered.

Dante and Lulu walked into the kitchen to find Lexi rinsing off dishes and handing them to Bridger to put in the dishwasher. Lulu let out a laugh in disbelief.

"And you thought they were going to have a water fight," Dante muttered before turning to the kids. "Thank you for doing the dishes."

"We have perfect kids," Lulu said, walking up behind them and kissing Lexi's cheek, then Bridger's.

"Did you get lipstick on my cheek?" Bridger questioned.

"No, I haven't put any on yet," Lulu replied. "We should probably get going…we can finish loading the dishwasher when we get back."

"Okay," they both said as Bridger rolled the tray back into the dishwasher before closing it and Lexi dried her hands.

Once they were in the car and on their way to the courthouse, Lulu turned around in the passenger's seat to face her children.

"Okay guys, when we get into the courtroom, the judge is going to talk to me and Dad first, then he'll probably ask you guys some questions, you'll probably just have to say yes or no," Lulu explained.

"You all remember Judge Henderson, right?" Dante asked, glancing in the rearview mirror, the three older kids nodded.

"He'll be there today, so you don't have to be scared," Lulu added. "And remember what we told you…this is basically just a ceremony to say we are legally a family, all the papers already say I'm your mom and Daddy is your dad."

"Like when you and Daddy got married?" Lexi questioned. "You said that the papers are what made you married, not the wedding."

"Exactly like that," Lulu smiled.

"So you guys have nothing to worry about," Dante told them.

After speaking with Dante and Lulu, the judge then asked Tanner, Lexi and Bridger a few questions, to which they answered happily. He then followed through on the rest of the proceedings.

"Mr. Falconeri, do you feel that it is in your Bridger and Mia's best interest to have Mrs. Falconeri as their mother?" Judge Henderson asked

"Yes sir," Dante replied.

"And Mrs. Falconeri, do you believe that it is in the best interest of Tanner and Lexi that Mr. Falconeri be their father?" He asked Lulu.

"Absolutely," Lulu said proudly.

"Well, I guess all that's left to say is congratulations, you're all officially Falconeris," he told them as he signed the final paper.

"Finally," Lulu whispered as she threw her arms around Dante's neck once they were out of the courtroom

"Now nothing can tear us apart," Dante said, taking a moment to themselves as the kids celebrated with Olivia and Laura. "It can be the six of us…forever."

"Um, make that seven," she said, pulling away from the hug.

"What?" he questioned, not sure he heard her right. "Are you…"

Lulu nodded as she bit her bottom lip. "I didn't want to get your hopes up until I found out for sure, but Doctor Lee called this morning while I was getting ready," she told him.

"A baby…" he said quietly as a grin spread across his face and he cupped her face in his hands before crashing his lips to hers. "We're having a baby."

"What?" Olivia exclaimed, causing Dante and Lulu to take their attention off of each other and turn to their family.

"You're pregnant?" Laura questioned.

"I'm pregnant," Lulu confirmed with a smile. "But I want to keep this just between us for a little while."

"I want another little sister," Lexi announced.

"We can't choose if it's a boy or a girl, Lex," Dante laughed at his daughter's request. "I'm sure you're going to be a great big sister, just like you are to Mia."

"I think this calls for a celebration lunch at Kelly's," Olivia said.

"Sounds great, I'm starving," Lulu replied as they all started toward the exit.

Dante took Lulu by the hand, holding her back as the rest of the family walked on.

"Do you have any idea how happy you've made me today?" He asked her.

"I think I have an idea because I'm probably just as happy," she countered.

"I love you so much," he said, kissing her briefly. "And I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you and our kids and their kids and their kids' kids."

"Slow down there, number five is barely on the way and you're already thinking about great-grandchildren," she laughed, lacing their fingers together.

"I can't help it, our life is perfect and it's only going to get better," Dante said.

"Mom, Dad, come on!" Bridger said as they stood at the end of the hallway waiting for them.

"Yeah, I'm hungry!" Tanner added

"Our perfect life awaits," Lulu said, gazing into his eyes lovingly. "I love you, Dante."

"I love you too, baby," he replied, stealing another kiss before they started down the hall toward their family.

* * *

_So…any final words, thoughts, complaints? I have truly enjoyed taking this journey with you and once again, I can't begin to express my gratitude for the support you've given me :)_


End file.
